Harry Evans: Outcast
by Herne
Summary: Half fae, half wolfshifter Harry Evans has been an outcast all his life, blamed for something he has no control over. When he is seven, he meets a girl named Ginny Weasley. As they grow, they form a friendship that will stand the test of time. Will Harry be able to defeat Voldemort and avoid the queen of Faerie who wants him dead? Note, Neville is BWL.
1. Chapter 1

_**Prologue**_

Lily lay in the bed her skin shining with sweat. Every muscle, nerve, and bone felt as if it had been doused in gasoline and set alight. Her teeth throbbed in her gums. Her tongue felt like a strip of sandpaper. Voices filtered into her ears, but they sounded as if they were coming from far away.

"I've never seen a werewolf attack have this effect on anyone." That was the healer's voice.

"That thing wasn't a werewolf," James said. "It was something else. Did you see it? It had the head of a wolf, but it walked like a man."

Lily drew in a harsh breath. It was so hard to breathe. It was like someone had dropped a house on her chest. Suddenly, the voices in the other room rose sharply.

"We have to do something. She's burning up."

The healer interrupted James. "There is nothing we can do. Whatever that creature was, its bite seems to have infected her with some type of magic."

"Magic," an old voice said, "Not a virus?"

Lily recognized that voice as the Headmasters. To her amazement, he sounded curious and more than a little worried. Could he not know what was going on? How was that possible? Albus Dumbledore knew everything. She strained her ears as the Healer explained what she knew.

"Yes, magic. It's not a virus like lycanthropy. A virus we could stop. Whatever this is, it's changing her."

Tuning out the voices as it was now obvious that they knew no more than she did. Lily lifted her head and looked down at her side. Most of the wound was bandaged, but she could see a small bit of the mangled flesh peeking out from underneath. It was enough to tell her she didn't want to see anymore.

"Albus," James voice made her start paying attention again. "It's a full moon do you think…"

Lily gazed out the window at the bloated moon just rising above the trees. As its light shown through the window, she tensed. She watched with trepidation as the light streamed towards her bed. She held her breath as the first rays of moonlight touched her.

Pain ripped through her. She screamed, feeling as if someone had reached inside her and yanked on her guts.

She looked down at her hands and saw they were covered in hair. Her fingers were bending and twisting into a claw formation. She twisted, throwing the bed clothes to the floor.

Her skin itched terribly, like bugs were crawling around just underneath the surface. Running her hands along her body, she was horrified to find herself covered in a thick pelt of fur. She opened her mouth to scream again, but all that came out was a long mournful how. There was a cracking sound. She felt her skull changing shape. Her ears shifted to the sides of her head and stuck straight up. Her teeth cracked and changed, becoming pointed and sharp enough to bite through bone. Her mouth stretched and lengthened, shifting shape until it resembled a muzzle. Saliva dripped from her open mouth splattered on the floor. Her eyes changed from emerald green to a glowing yellow. Her howls turned to bestial snarls.

Her legs bulged rippling with muscle. Her knees became double jointed. The souls of her feet became tough and leathery her toe nails lengthening to form razor sharp claws.

She rose from the bed, her head just brushing the ceiling of the cottage. She could hear furniture falling over in the next room. and snarled again. She stalked forward, moving surprisingly gracefully for something so large. She was hungry and there was meat so close. Someone stepped into her path. She could smell that he was old, but that was no matter. Old meat would fill her belly as well as young flesh would. She bent her knees, preparing to spring. Her claw-like hands flexed preparing to rend flesh from bone.

"Lily," the old man said. "Try to control yourself. I'm not going to hurt you."

She growled and made a sudden swipe at the man. He stepped back nimbly, barely avoiding her claws. He calmly raised a stick and pointed it at her.

"Stupefy," he said.

She growled as something hit her in the chest. She lunged, snapping her jaws, but the old man flicked the stick in his hand sending her crashing into the wall.

"Stupefy," the man said again, but this time his voice was joined by others.

She roared in rage as her vision began to fade. She faintly heard the spell being shouted again and everything went black.

Chapter ONE

Lily sighed as she stepped out into the pouring rain. Pulling her cloak tightly around her, she bowed her head and headed towards the apparition point at the edge of Diagon Alley. As she walked, she heard the giggles of the small girl walking down the street with her Mother. She frowned at the sound.

The laughter of children would provoke happiness in most women, but not Lily, not now. As she passed a shop window she winced. She hardly recognized herself in the woman reflected in the glass.

She was lean and muscular without an ounce of fat on her. Her red hair was cut so that it fell just short of her shoulders and her green eyes seemed to glow even though there was not enough light to reflect them.

Turning away from the glass, she hurried on her way. Not many new of her transformation, and she intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. Listening to the little girls giggles getting farther and farther away, the words of the healer echoed in her mind.

"I don't want you to lose hope Mrs. Potter. There are many ways for you to have a child." The middle-aged woman smiled reassuringly. "Even if you can't conceive, you and your husband could always adopt, won't that be nice? You could give an orphan of this blasted war a good home."

Nice sure. James hadn't taken the news that she couldn't have children well. He'd wanted a blood heir and potions could only do so much. To add to that, what she changed into once a month made Remus Lupin, their werewolf friend look like a harmless little puppy.

"She's dominant," he told James. "I don't know what this is, but she makes my wolf cringe now. We need to make sure Voldemort doesn't find out about this. If he does, he'll stop at nothing to get her on his side. Even if she doesn't comply, which we know she wouldn't, he may force her to change someone else."

Voldemort. The sorcerer that terrified Great Britain had started a campaign to rid the world of all wizards not of pure blood. That meant any wizard born from two mundane parents were worthless to them. Unfortunately, Lily fell into that category. She smiled bitterly. That was the bright side about her transformation. Discovering what she was capable of took her mind off the war brewing around her.

Through trial and error, Lily had discovered that she could change whether it was day or night and during any phase of the moon cycle. However, the only time she had to change was the full moon. During that time, she'd started going to a secluded forest to hunt.

She had also discovered that she healed almost instantly from any wound, no matter how severe. The only thing that caused her wounds that wouldn't heal was silver. Wounds inflicted with silver healed as slow as they would have if she'd been a normal human.

James had tried to be there for her, but the fact that they couldn't have children, coupled with the fact that she'd tried to kill him the one time he'd accompanied her in his stag form caused them to drift apart.

Their separation had been amicable and they'd remained friends. So here she was, twenty-one years old, alone and divorced.

She was at least thankful that Dumbledore had given her the charms position at Hogwarts. At least she had an income and she was able to complete her charms apprenticeship. She just wished she could've known the joys of Motherhood.

Lily was drawn from her thoughts when the rain stopped. No, not stopped, she could hear it all around her, but it wasn't falling on her anymore. What was going on? She took a deep breath of the air. Concentrating, she sorted out the scents marveling yet again at how easy this had become after her change.

The smells of sweat, mud, rain, and cinnamon assaulted her nose. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. There were no shops selling cinnamon in this area. What was going on here? She reached deep inside herself, drawing on her magic. Her right hand glowed, the ring on her finger blazing with a fierce blue flame.

"Alright," she called, her voice echoing strangely. "I've had enough games. Show yourself."

A soft chuckle was heard right behind her. Lily spun and thrust her right hand out. Fire lanced from the ring on her right hand, but the flames froze in midair, literally froze. Lily watched in stunned disbelief as the frozen ice sculpture of fire fell out of the air and shattered on the cobblestones.

"It's alright," a voice said gently. "I am not going to hurt you; I swear it on my magic."

"If you don't want to hurt me then why are you hiding?" Lily growled.

"I am not hiding," the voice said. As it spoke, a man appeared standing a respectful distance from her. "I merely wanted to make you aware of my presence."

"And you couldn't just walk up and say hi?"

The man chuckled again. He brushed his fingers through his sapphire blue hair, pushing it away from his face. Lily gaped as she got a glimpse of the man's ears.

They were pointed. Only slightly, but they definitely weren't round. Looking closer, she drew in a sharp breath as she saw his eyes.

The man's eyes were gold, glowing in his pale face like two tiny suns. He gazed around as if making sure no one was listening.

"There are hard times in your world. I thought you may be suspicious if someone just walked up and starting chatting to you.

"Who… what are you?" Lily stammered. It was clear she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"That could be considered a rude question," the man said raising an eyebrow the same sapphire color as his hair.

Lily's ring flared with light again. "I said no games," she snarled.

"Redheads," the man said calmly. "All of you have that famous temper."

Reaching out quickly, he grasped Lily's shoulder with a long fingered hand. Before she could do anything, the ground seemed to fall away under her feet.

 _ **XXX**_

Lily stumbled as the ground firmed underneath her again. She jerked away from the man and spun, flinging out her hand as she did so.

A bolt of red light flew from her ring and struck the man in the chest.

The man rubbed his chest where the light struck and grimaced. "Owe, that actually hurt. You are a lot stronger than I thought you were." He grinned charmingly at her, flashing white and slightly crooked teeth. "Of course I should've known that. After all, there aren't many mages left in this country. Most of the magic users are so weak they are forced to use wands even with our help."

Lily growled, her eyes glowing brightly and fired a bright blue light at his head. The man leaned slightly to the left. The light missed him by inches, blowing a hole in the brick wall beside him.

"Will you calm down," he snapped. "I'm not going to hurt you. Look," He drew a long hand across his palm. Blood ran in a steady stream from the cut. He held his bleeding hand towards Lily.

"I give you an oath by blood and magic that I mean you know harm either physical, emotional, or mental."

Lily paused as a light blazed from the cut. When it faded, the man looked at her. "Will that suffice?"

She was silent for a moment, thinking hard. "Alright," she said. "I'll listen, but no funny stuff."

"Good," the man said. "Come on," he motion to a pair of wooden benches against the wall. They sat and Lily gazed at him. "You wanted to talk?"

The man fidgeted, twisting his long fingered hands in his lap. "I know what happened to you," he said finally. "I know you are a werewolf, not a lycanthrope, but a true werewolf."

Lily froze. "I don't know what you're…" she stiffened as the man drew out a silver knife and held it out towards her. The mere presence of the silver made her skin itch.

The man nodded as if he'd just confirmed something to himself. "You are not cursed with Lycanthropy. What's happened to you is a complete change of your genetic structure."

"That's what the healer said," Lily said staring at the man steadily, "but how do you know about that?"

"The shifters are an ancient race. They are far older than humans. The lycanthropes your world knows of are merely a pale imitation of the true were. You're stronger, faster, and I bet you got a hell of a nose don't you? To add to that, I bet you eat like a horse and you got eyes like superman. Your magic is stronger as well. Pretty soon, you won't need any type of foci to cast spells."

Lily nodded without saying anything. This man whoever he was seemed to know a lot about her.

He looked into her eyes, gold meeting green. His expression was serious. "It's not all fun and games is it? I assume your healers have already told you that it will be nearly impossible to have a child. The violence of your change will cause you to miscarry. That's what they told you, correct?"

It was as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "What… why are you doing this? Do you enjoy causing me pain?"

The man touched her cheek tenderly. "I wouldn't cause you pain for anything. I'm here to offer you what you've always wanted. You can have a child, just not with a human. However, another shifter or other magical creature would make the unborn fetus strong enough to handle the change."

He looked at her steadily. "My name is Oberon. I am the king of the fae, ruler of all of Faerie. I want you to bare my child."

"You… what?" Lily sputtered.

Oberon's lips quivered slightly as if he were trying not to smile. "It's more than that. I want you to be my wife. I've watched you for years ever since you graduated Hogwarts. I admire your passion and your desire to protect those you care about. That is what I want in a mate."

Lily laughed uncertainly. "I don't even know you. Hell, I only know your name and here you are wanting to be my husband."

Oberon leaned forward, speaking earnestly. "It was that way in the old days. Sometimes the wife didn't even meet the husband until the wedding day."

"I have a job here," Lily said. "I can't just hop up and leave."

"I've got you covered there. I'll create a homunculus to take your place. When you return, you will gain all the knowledge that the homunculus had learned, not to mention any skills it may have picked up."

"Why me?" Lily asked stubbornly.

"Because you are loyal. My X-wife is not. She is a slut who cheated on me repeatedly. I would like an heir and a wife I could trust. Werewolves mate for life and so do the sidhe, also known as the elves," he paused and took a deep breath. "I think you would be what I'm looking for. You never cheated on your X-husband even when he neglected you. I give you my word that I will be the best husband I can. You are immortal now, so we have time to get to know one another."

Lily stared at him her mind frozen in shock. What about her children. Was she going to be forced to watch them die?

Obviously seeing her distress, Oberon spoke. "I will never die of old age either and our children will inherit biological immortality from both of us."

Lily lowered her head, thinking hard. This was a tempting offer. After all, even if she completed her Charms apprenticeship, what did she have after that? She couldn't carry a human child and she would outlive any human she married and that was assuming they could get passed her turning into a blood thirsty killing machine once a month. She looked up at Oberon who waited patiently for her answer.

"What's the catch? You've told me all these great things, but there has to be a downside."

"Ah," For the first time, Oberon looked uncomfortable. "My X-wife is still the queen. She is not going to be happy that a werewolf has replaced her."

"But if she's your X-wife…"

"I can only divorce her if I have a new wife lined up. The nobles are very edgy because I haven't produced an heir. It doesn't help that I've been wandering the world for a hundred years searching for the perfect person to be my wife."

Lily gazed at him. Every word he spoke rang with sincerity. She could see the pain and sorrow buried deep in his gold eyes. "We can get to know each other first, right? I don't want to agree to be your wife and then we find out we're not compatible." She smiled slightly. "Especially if we are going to be together for hundreds of years. I assume adultery is the only way the fae can divorce?"

"You are wise beyond your years," Oberon complimented. "That is correct. Adultery or death are the only ways to break a marriage bond."

"What do you say?" Lily said. "Do we have to get married right away?"

"I agree to your terms," Oberon said. "Time passes different in Faerie. Right now, it's flowing faster, so a day in your world is a year in Faerie. In other words, we have plenty of time."

"Okay then," Lily said standing as well. "We have a deal. How do we get to Faerie?"

Oberon took her hand. His skin was warm. At his touch, Lily felt a piece and serenity she hadn't known since her divorce from James. "Like this," Oberon gestured at a puddle of water. It shimmered becoming a swirling doorway of mist. He gently drew Lily towards the doorway.

Hesitating only momentarily, Lily stepped through the doorway. For a few seconds, she felt intense cold. It was as if she'd stepped into a freezer. Then it was over. She blinked rapidly in the bright light. She could hear birds chirping overhead. Looking up at the sky, she saw it was the purest color of blue she'd ever seen.

Birds of every species flew through shafts of sunlight, singing happily. Distantly, she could hear the lowing of cows. Closer at hand, there were the sounds of laughter, the clink of cutlery and the cries of infants.

She felt Oberon squeeze her hand. "Welcome to your new home, Lily," he said softly.

 _ **XXX**_

 _ **Five years later**_

Lily leaned back in the chair next to Oberon's throne cradling her newborn son. The baby looked up at her cooing happily.

"Did he just say Daddy?" Oberon asked leaning towards their son expectantly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oberon, I know Fae children are more developed at birth than human children, but I don't think he'll be talking only days after his birth." Her green eyes twinkled mischievously. "Besides, his first word is going to be Mummy."

Oberon kissed her cheek. "We'll see about that."

Lily leaned over and kissed him thoroughly. "Yes, I guess we will."

As she leaned back in her chair, cuddling her son, she thought back over the past five years.

Surprisingly, she and Oberon had hit it off fairly quickly. She hadn't asked, but Oberon had sworn another blood oath that he wouldn't use any magic to manipulate or harm her in any way. This, more than anything, had shown her that he was committed to winning her heart through work and trust. It hadn't taken long before they'd begun courting. Three years after her arrival in Faerie, they were married. The fae had been overjoyed at the new union. They'd been even happier when Lily became pregnant.

Lily had been worried when Oberon's X-wife, Aeval, had not made an appearance. She'd asked Oberon about it not long before she gave birth.

"It is concerning," he'd said, "but I have guards watching out for her. They'll detain her as soon as she shows her face." His gold eyes were like two chips of granite. "Don't worry my love, I will not allow any harm to come to you or our son."

Lily sat up sharply as the doors to the throne room burst open. A woman stood framed in the doorway. Her cold blue eyes were focused unblinkingly on Lily. Her black hair floated around her face as if it had a mind of its own. Two small horns grew out of her forehead.

"So," she said her voice like the hiss of a serpent. "This is the animal you replaced me with? And look what you've done, Oberon, she's already had a pup. My my, you have been busy."

Oberon stood placing himself between the woman and Lily. "How did you get in here, Aeval?"

Aeval tsked. "You should know a lady doesn't reveal her secrets. Here I was hoping we could work things out, but I see that I have to get rid of the competition first." She stepped closer to Oberon, reaching out to touch his cheek.

Lily snarled, her eyes turning yellow. "Don't touch him," she growled. The nails on her hands lengthening into claws. "He's mine."

Aeval smirked at her. "Look Oberon, your pet is jealous."

Oberon stepped back from her. "I would thank you to treat my wife and your queen with the proper respect."

Aeval's face twisted, her upper lip lifting in a snarl. "Your wife she may be for the moment, but she will never be my queen. She isn't even Fae for Danu's sake."

"That's really your problem, isn't it? Have you forgotten that we've had a pact for centuries with wizards to exchange their squib children for our weaker fae children? Have you forgotten that it was the inbreeding of the Seelie court that made that pact necessary? We've fixed the inbreeding problem in Faerie. Our bloodline is stronger than ever, but you still can't let go of your prejudice and hatred can you?"

Aeval snarled an animal sound of rage and hate. "Wizards are one thing, but fae and shifter mixes are forbidden for a reason. I am not the only one who disagrees with your decision."

"Which one is it," Oberon snapped. "Is it Seelie or Unseelie that wants to slay my wife and son?"

"Neither," Aeval said snapping her long fingers. A group of fae appeared behind her, swords drawn. The bronze glinted in the light of the throne room.

"Just come quietly Oberon," Aeval said as if speaking to someone mentally ill and possibly dangerous. "Step aside; let me take care of this little problem you've created for yourself. Once that's done, we can work on creating a proper heir for the throne of Faerie."

Oberon moved closer to Lily and Harry. A short sword appeared in his hand, the metal glowing supernaturally bright. The handle was in the shape of a wolf, the feet coming together to form a guard to protect the knuckles. Runes ran the entire length of the blade. A sense of danger emanated from the sword, as if it were a weapon forged by Death itself."

At sight of the sword, Aeval hissed. "Really Oberon, Mortality? Is it really necessary to draw that weapon here?"

Oberon spread his feet, lifting the sword to chest height, the flat of the blade turned towards Aeval. "You know what this sword can do. It can penetrate any defense and any wound inflicted with it cannot be healed. SO," he continued, smiling grimly. "Who wants to go first?"

"You can't fight all of us," Aeval said confidently. "We will drag you down, take your sword, and use it to do what needs to be done. It's almost poetic isn't it? The king's sword used to protect the Kingdom from becoming infected."

Oberon moved. One second, he was in front of Lily and Harry. The next, he'd cut the arm off an Ogre at the front of the crowd. Black blood fountained on the air and the ogre howled in pain. It stepped back and fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Oberon stepped in and drove his sword into its heart. The blade punched through the ogre's thick hide and cut through the muscle and bones like a hot knife through butter. The Ogre squealed like a stuck pig, twitched for several seconds, and then lay still.

Aeval stared at Oberon in shock. "You killed him," she whispered.

"What?" Oberon asked. "Was he one of your lovers? That's the reason it never worked between us Aeval. You dishonored me too many times, so I gave you up as a bad wife and found someone better."

"Oberon," she whispered pain lacing her voice.

Ignoring her, Oberon turned to Lily. With a gesture, a hole appeared in the wall of the throne room. "Run beloved," he said.

"What about you?" Lily said her eyes wide.

"I'll stay behind. I need to make sure she doesn't follow and I know just the spell to do it."

Lily's eyes filled with understanding. "No, not that one. Please, we can find another way."

"This will insure yours and Harry's safety. I love you Lily. Aeval will not stop until you and Harry are dead. I couldn't bear to come home one day and find you both slaughtered."

"But what about me," Lily said suddenly angry. "How am I supposed to raise our son without you?"

Oberon walked up to her and stroked her cheek tenderly. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her into a kiss. "Go," he whispered. "I'll be with you always. Please, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't for Harry, but we have to keep him safe."

With one last pleading look at her husband, Lily turned and leapt through the portal. As soon as she was through, the portal vanished with a boom that shook the throne room.

Oberon turned back to Aeval. "Now I just have you to deal with."

Aeval smirked unafraid. "Going to kill me?"

"No," Oberon said. "You are as powerful as I am. You are one of the few that could heal a nonfatal wound inflicted by this blade. I know this sword could kill you, but it would have to be a heart shot and I know you won't let me get that close."

"So what? Are you going to stand here and stare at me for eternity?"

"Nope." Before Aeval could do or say anything, Oberon had turned his wrist and plunged the sword into his own chest. Blood ran down his chest staining his shirt. White light blazed from the wound. Oberon smiled, more blood running down his chin from his slackening mouth. "I just have one more word for you," he croaked.

Aeval gaped. "W-what?" she said through numb lips.

"Close," Oberon said, a satisfied smile blooming on his pale face.

Aeval felt the surge of power as Oberon released his Life spell.

The Life Spells were spells cast at the death of a fae, using their life force to power the magic. The stronger the fae, the more devastating the spell. Oberon, as the king of Faerie, was one of the strongest fae alive.

Aeval felt the magic spreading through all of Faerie. As the spell took effect, she could feel every door in Faerie slamming shut. She screamed in thwarted rage. There was a burst of light as Oberon's body slumped to the floor. His sword fell from his limp hand, but vanished before it struck the ground.

Aeval sank onto Oberon's vacated throne, her head in her hands. Every door to Faerie was closed. There was no way she could go after the bitch and her pup now. What was she going to do?

 _ **XXX**_

On the other side of the portal, Lily felt the death of her husband. Raising her head to the sky, she let out a howl of grief and rage. Harry snuggled closer to her, whimpering softly.

Looking down at her son, Lily knew what she had to do. She had to go to Hogwarts. After all, five years may have passed for her, but only five days had passed in the mortal world. Unless a miracle had happened, Voldemort would still be at large. Her lips pressed together, forming a thin line.

Voldemort would not harm Harry. She would make sure of that. Turning on one foot, Lily vanished with a deafening crack.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter TWO**_

Dumbledore looked down at the baby in Lily's arms, his eyes wide. The baby stared back at him, his emerald green eyes seeming to memorize Dumbledore's features.

"Fascinating," Dumbledore murmured. "Truly fascinating." He looked back at Lily. "You say that the doors to Faerie are shut?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, Oberon," her voice hitched and she stifled a sob. "He closed the gates so I could escape."

Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Millicent will not be happy about that, but what's done is done. I suggest you go to the ministry and register Harry as your son and the son of your deceased husband. We don't want him known as a Bastard. I fear he will have enough trouble as it is."

"What do you mean?"

"Did Oberon ever tell you what the pact the fae made with the wizards was?"

"He mentioned it a few times, but he said that it had become mostly unnecessary over the past hundred years or so."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Indeed it has. You see, the wizards were producing many squibs about five hundred years ago. The magic in certain bloodlines had become so week even those that had enough to wield a wand were only able to cast the simplest of spells. The Council of Wizards researched the problem and discovered that it was caused by pureblood families inbreeding to frequently. Unbeknownst to us, the Seelie court had begun having similar issues for similar reasons.

Oberon decided to help us for some reason. He went to certain families and offered them a deal. He would take their squib child and would give them a fae child in its place. Even weakened, the fae would have enough magic to pass as a relatively strong wizard. Not wanting the shame of having a squib in their family, most wizarding families agreed. Thus, the inbreeding issue was solved for the wizards and the Seelie. Thanks to Oberon, wizarding bloodlines are stronger than ever and the purebloods learned that breeding amongst relatives was a bad thing."

Lily looked down at Harry. "But what about the fae. How did they know how they were treated and what happened to the squibs? How did Voldemort come to power if the Purebloods learned that inbreeding was a bad idea?"

"The squibs eventually became fae and gained magic. As for the fae children left here, Oberon was very firm. He was very selective in the families that were chosen for the exchange. As a matter-of-fact, some wizarding and fae lines died out because they mistreated the children left in their care. Coincidentally or not, no family that was going to have ties to Voldemort was given a child, not that they would've accepted it." Reaching over his desk, Dumbledore placed a hand on Lily's arm. "You should be proud of your husband. He was an honorable man. I have no doubt that your son will grow up to make his Father proud."

Lily swallowed painfully. "Thank you," she croaked. Clearing her throat, she asked. "What's happened while I've been gone? Has there been any new developments in the war?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "It's only been five days, my dear. Nothing has changed." He paused staring at her. "Well, that's not true. Tell me, what month was your son born?"

"Month?" Lily blinked at him. "What are you talking about? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Humor an old man."

Lily scowled. She hated it when Dumbledore got like this. "He was born at Midnight on June 21st."

Dumbledore relaxed. "That's good," he said smiling at her. "That means he couldn't be the one."

"The one? What on earth are you babbling about?"

"I interviewed a teacher for the post of divination a few days ago. She seemed like a… well…" he stopped looking flustered.

"Like a fraud?"

"Quite, anyway, I was just finishing up and getting ready to tell her that I was going to remove the class from the curriculum. when something most peculiar happened. She went into a trance and said something about a child being born at the end of the seventh month. This child would supposedly have the power to vanquish Voldemort."

Lily's forehead wrinkled in concentration. "Vanquish? That's pretty vague. Vanquish means to defeat thoroughly. It doesn't necessarily mean kill."

"True," Dumbledore said, "but if this child can put Voldemort out of action, it may give the magical community a chance to recover."

Lily looked at Dumbledore. Most wouldn't see it, but her transformation and her years among the fae had made her eyes very sharp. She could see the hope in Dumbledore's blue eyes. He honestly believed what this woman had told him. "Don't get your hopes up, Albus," she said gently. "Oberon never put much stock in prophecy or divination. He said that knowing the future could change it and that prophecies were hardly ever understood before coming to pass. He believed that the only true prophets were sent from Heaven and that all others were just as likely to be wrong as they were to be right."

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "You are probably right, but it would be nice if this war was over. Also, we have a problem."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Someone overheard part of the prophecy. It was one of Voldemort's followers I'm sure he has been told about it by now."

"That changes things."

"I am afraid so. Even if the prophecy isn't true, Voldemort's actions could make it so."

"Bloody hell," Lily swore hugging Harry close.

Dumbledore glanced at the clock. "It's after midnight. Why don't you head to bed? I'll tell Filius that you are ill and explain that you need some rest. I'll let you explain things to him shall I?"

Lily smiled sadly, a tear running down her cheek. "I think that would be best. She kissed Harry's forehead. "It's not like I'm going to be able to hide this little guy."

Dumbledore flicked his wand causing the door to swing open. "I wish you good night and pleasant dreams."

 _ **XXX**_

"Gone," Bagnold bellowed. "What do you mean gone?"

Dumbledore remained calm. "Oberon closed the gates to protect his son."

"Damn it, Albus, we had a deal with the fae. With the gates closed, what are we supposed to do with our squibs?"

"Millicent," Dumbledore said placatingly. "The number of squibs born have decreased drastically. There are hardly any squibs in the wizarding world."

"That's not the point," Bagnold said, her nostrils flaring. "Can you guarantee that there won't be any squibs born ever again?"

Dumbledore remained silent allowing the minister to vent.

Sinking back in her chair, Millicent Bagnold ran her fingers through her grey hair. Her steel grey eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Dumbledore's face. "I assume you have a solution. Otherwise, you would not have woken me up at almost one in the morning to tell me this."

"We need to put an article in the paper," Dumbledore said firmly. "The people need to know what has happened and why."

"It will cause a panic," Bagnold nearly wailed.

"Better that than people thinking the fae have broken our deal."

Bagnold pursed her lips. "All this to protect one little brat," she muttered.

Dumbledore frowned at her, his blue eyes turning steely. "That brat was his only son. A son, I might add, that he tried for centuries to have."

Bagnold rubbed her eyes tiredly. "You are right of course." She stood. "There is no way we can make the morning addition and this sort of thing isn't good to tell people in the evening. Will Wednesday morning be soon enough for you?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "That'll be fine."

"Good," Bagnold said. "Now if you don't mind, get out of my office. I'd like to get back home and at least try to get a little more sleep."

XXX

The torches around the throne room were guttering.

Aeval frowned. They were supposed to burn eternally. Was this a side effect Oberon's closing of the gate? She looked down at the man kneeling before her.

"News," she barked.

Percival bowed before the queen. He had heard of royalty killing the messenger that brought them bad news, but he hoped his solution would buy him a little time.

"There is nothing I can do," he said gruffly. "The king's magic has bound the doors shut. There is no possible way to open them."

"So you're telling me that the fae are stuck here?"

Percival ran a hand through his reddish gold hair. "I am afraid so."

Aeval restrained the urge to snap his neck with great difficulty. It wasn't his fault the gates were closed and he was answering her questions even though he had been loyal to her husband. Taking a deep breath, she asked her next question.

"You were once a human wizard before my husband rescued you and your daughter. Is there any magic that you know of that would enable us to break free? I will gladly pay any price, even if it means sacrificing one of my limbs."

Percival shook his head. "I am afraid nothing with fae blood can pass through the doors. However, it may be possible for you to influence the mortal world."

Aeval leaned forward, fixing her gaze on Percival's face. "How?"

"Tis true that nothing of Faerie can pass through the gate, but we can bring someone here and make him an agent of Faerie. It was done in olden times. We used to have mortal champions for each court."

"I'm listening," Aeval said eagerly.

 _ **XXX**_

Percival returned to his quarters half an hour later. As he sat down beside the fire, a young girl about fifteen or so appeared out of the small kitchen and handed him a bowl of soup.

"I do not understand why you aided her," she said disapprovingly. We owe Oberon, not her."

Percival sipped his soup. "I do not agree with anything the queen has done, but I am bound by my oath. I swore to aid the monarch of Faerie if ever they had need of me. That time has come."

"She'll kill the rightful heir to the thrown and the true queen of Faerie."

"Perhaps, but she cannot directly attack him and I know who she will choose as an agent. I have seen her choice and so have you. There will be time for Queen Lily to prepare the prince for what is to come."

XXX

Alice Longbottom ran her fingers through the babies blue hair. "He definitely has his Father's hair," she said dryly. "Are you going to hide this?"

"No," Lily said firmly. "He will be proud of his fae heritage. I do not intend to tell him he is a prince right away, but he will know that his Father loved him enough to give his life to protect him."

James approached hesitantly. "May I?" he asked gesturing at the baby in Alice's arms.

Lily smiled. "Of course."

James lifted the baby from Alice and looked down into his green eyes. "He's a handsome kid," he said lips twitching slightly. "Harry, you named him after your Father?"

Lily smiled. "I think so." She pointed at Alice's bulging stomach. "When are you due?"

"The healers say towards the end of July," Alice said stroking her belly.

"I can't wait to see him," Lily patted Alice's belly.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Him? How do you know it's not a girl?"

Lily smirked. "Trust me, it's not a girl."

James handed Harry back to Lily. "Thank you," he said. "I have to get going." He turned to Alice. "If Frank needs anything, just let me know."

Alice smiled at James. "I will, say hi to Sirius for me."

James left the house, closing the door quietly behind him.

"He still loves you, you know?" Alice said softly.

Lily shrugged. "I don't mean to be cold, but I've moved on. I am still fond of him, and we did have a few good years, but things just didn't work out. All the problems that existed when we were together are still present. I can't give him a child and now there's Harry. He would be a constant reminder of what I was able to give someone else, but couldn't give him. James would come to resent him and while I can understand that, I will not put my son through that sort of situation."

Alice patted her leg reassuringly. "I understand. You really have grown haven't you?"

"Five years in a strange land will do that for you," Lily said quietly.

The two women sat in comfortable silence for a long time. "Are you worried?" Alice asked. "I mean, the wizarding public probably won't be too pleased with Harry. I'm sure by now Dumbledore has informed Bagnold of what has happened."

"The wizarding public can go screw themselves," Lily said acidly. "I'm sure Harry will find some friends that will accept him, and if not, there are other countries."

Lily stood, gathering a sleeping Harry and wrapping him in her cloak. "I've got to get back to Hogwarts."

Alice stood as well. She gently drew Lily into a hug. "Keep in touch. I want to see my godson as much as possible."

Lily kissed her cheek. "Don't worry. With everything going on, I am definitely going to need a friend." She grinned. "Besides, you know what a workhorse Flitwick can be sometimes. I'm sure I'll need a break."

 _ **XXX**_

The Daily Prophet had taken longer to publish than either Dumbledore or Bagnold had expected. Thus, it was Friday morning before the wizarding Public discovered the gates of Faerie were closed.

The news had caused a slight panic among the pure-bloods, especially expecting Mothers. There were many trips to Healers in a vain attempt to discover if their children were magical or not.

By the start of the following week, the uproar had died down and Lily felt comfortable taking Harry out in public. Attitudes towards Harry were not actively hostile, but they were definitely cool. Lily had spoken to Dumbledore about it.

"I hope it will pass," he'd said. "It is a shame that the public can blame a child for something that wasn't his fault."

"I'm going to start saving my money," Lily said. "If things don't change, I'm taking Harry and leaving the country. I'm sure he will fit in fine in the Muggle world. They'll just question my sanity in dying his hair blue."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "If that happens, please be sure to keep in touch. I hope you do not find it necessary, but I understand your need to protect your son."

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort looked out the window watching the birds soaring over the forest outside his small cottage. He ran a hand through his greying hair and turned back to the Death Eater still kneeling in the center of the room.

"Tell me Severus," he began his voice light and friendly. "Why did you not bring this to my attention months ago? Here it is the middle of August, and I'm just now hearing about this prophecy."

The man shifted, brushing greasy black hair away from his face. "My lord, when I heard the prophecy, I had no idea who it could refer to. As you know, I have a few contacts in Saint Mungos. I thought it prudent to wait until after the seventh month of the year and see which children were born towards the end of the month."

"And?" Voldemort said his blue eyes focused unblinkingly on Snape's bowed head. "What have you found?"

Snape looked up, his black eyes meeting Voldemort's blue ones. "My lord, only one child fits the description. His name is Neville Longbottom and he was born on July Thirtieth, 1980."

Voldemort was silent. He turned and began staring out the window again. He stood there for several minutes before speaking. "I don't like this," he said finally. "I've done many terrible things. I've killed men, women, the young, and the old, but I have never raised my wand to a child. Now, the time has come for me to cross a line I swore I'd never cross."

"My lord," Snape said quietly. "There are Death Eaters that would be more than happy to perform this task for you."

"I'm sure there would be," Voldemort said. "Some of my followers are using this war to live out their most depraved fantasies. I imagine they'd probably have a go at his Mother while they were at it." He rubbed his face tiredly. "If I didn't need followers, I'd kill all those that would take a woman by force. No, Severus, I will take care of this myself. If I am going to damn myself to save our world from the sickness that is the muggle-born, I will do it by my own hand."

Snape was silent. When his master was in one of his moods, it was best to let it run its course. After a moment, Voldemort continued.

"I expect they will use the Fidelius charm. Find out who the secret keeper is and bring them to me. I have a plan."

"You intend to use the spy?" Snape asked.

Voldemort nodded. "Yes, it's time he proved his loyalties once and for all."

 _ **XXX**_

"Why didn't you warn us about this before, Albus?" Frank asked angrily. "My son's life is in danger."

"I didn't know for sure," Dumbledore said, "Not until your son was born. He is the only one the prophecy could refer to. He was the only magical child born at the end of July."

"So what do we do now," Alice asked, hugging her baby close.

"He needs as much protection as possible. I think we should have Lily, James and Sirius move in here with you if they are agreeable. I assume your Mother will be the secret keeper?"

Frank nodded.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said. "Now, Lily, James, and Sirius will be the last line of defense in case the worst were to occur."

Lily raised her hand. "I don't know about this," she said hesitantly. "If the worst happens, we are all going to die. What about Harry and Neville? The babies don't need to be in that kind of danger."

"If Voldemort comes here, we only need you to hold him off until reinforcements can arrive. With your unique abilities, you will be able to dodge most spells. If the others fall, you will be able to protect the children long enough for the aurors and myself to aid you."

Lily looked down at Harry. The baby grinned up at her, showing a perfect row of gleaming white teeth.

"Alright," she said finally, "but I want both children wearing Portkeys to Hogwarts at all times. No matter what happens to us, they must be protected."

"I second that motion," Alice said firmly.

"Agreed," Dumbledore said without hesitation.

"If that's settled," Frank said. "I'll call Mother and we can get started."

XXX

Augusta Longbottom woke with a jerk and looked around. "What… where…" she muttered confusedly.

"Easy my dear lady," Voldemort said calmly. He strode in front of her so she could see him. "I don't suppose you would be willing to tell me where your son and daughter-in-law live would you?"

"Go to hell," Augusta snapped.

Voldemort sighed. "I thought you might say that. Fortunately, I have a way to bypass that pesky fidelius charm."

Augusta stared at him, her eyes shining with fear. "You can't," she said frantically. "If I don't tell you the secret, then they are safe."

"Well, you are partially right," Voldemort said pleasantly. "Wormtail," he called.

A small man stepped out of the shadows. His watery eyes were shining with terror. He refused to look at Augusta. Voldemort patted him on the head like a dog that had done a trick.

"Wormtail here has been my servant for a long time." He turned back to Augusta. "I give you one last chance. Tell me what I want to know. I am going to find out anyway," he coaxed. "No one has to know. We can keep you locked up here. For all anyone knows, you had the paper on you when you were captured. It won't be your fault. You can go on living your life without any further interference from me."

Augusta's mind raced. She had to be strong. She would not allow this madman to manipulate her. Her son and daughter-in-law had been safe for the past two months. She would die before allowing harm to come to them now.

"I said no," Augusta said defiantly. "I will not tell you where they are."

Voldemort drew his wand from his cloak. The white wood gleamed like bone in the light of the torches round the room.

"I admire your dedication to your family," he said almost gently. "If there were any other way to get the secret, I would let you live. I could of course torture you, but that's a lot of work for probably not a lot of gain. You are after all, very strong. I believe you would go insane before giving up the secret. No, this is better."

"What are you talking about?" Augusta said her voice shaking slightly.

There was a flash of green light and Augusta slumped to the floor, dead. Voldemort gently closed the old woman's eyes. He turned to one of the masked figures in the shadows.

"Take her back home. Put her in bed, or on a sofa. Do not harm her body or mistreat it in anyway. She was a worthy opponent, and stood up for what she believed in. She deserves our respect for that if nothing else."

"Yes milord," the masked man said. He gently lifted Augusta's body, and with a crack, vanished from the room. Voldemort turned to Wormtail.

"Peter?" he asked. "Where are the Longbottom's located?"

 _ **XXX**_

Lily looked out the window, watching as the children in brightly lit costumes scampered down the street. She smiled as she heard "Trick or treat," being shouted at the top of little lungs.

She looked down at a goggle-eyed Harry, watching the children. "That might be you in a few years," she said kissing the top of his head.

"Assuming we can get out of here," Alice grumbled. "I hope we're not stuck in here forever. I tell you Lily, I don't understand how the refugees from World War II hid all the time."

"They did it because they had to," Lily said, "the same as us. We'll get out of here someday."

Before Alice could reply, there was a polite knock on the door. Both women froze, staring at each other, eyes wide.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Lily mouthed.

"No, were you?" Alice shot back. The knock came again, more insistent this time.

Lily handed Harry to Alice. "Take him to the nursery with Neville," she mouthed. "I'll answer the door."

Before Alice could object, Lily had stood and made her way to the door. "Who is it?" she called once she was close enough.

"Wormtail," a voice squeaked.

Lily frowned, her green eyes turning yellow. Something wasn't right. Why was Wormtail here? Had something happened?

Keeping the door in between her and Wormtail, she slowly pulled it open. Thanks to her caution, the stunning spell shot right passed her, blasting a hole in the wall.

Lily dove in the opposite direction, narrowly avoiding the second stunner. Rolling to her feet from where she'd fallen to the floor, she looked towards the doorway.

Voldemort stood there, his wand raised. A small smile twitched the corner of his mouth. "You are fast," he said admiringly. "I've never seen anyone move that fast. Wormtail was right about the changes in you."

Lily flicked her fingers, sending a bolt of reddish blue light towards the sorcerer.

Voldemort swiped his wand through the air, deflecting the spell into the ceiling. Small bits of plaster and dust rained down from above.

"You'll have to do better than that," he chided gently. "You need far more powerful spells if you hope to defeat me."

"You do love hearing yourself talk don't you?" Lily snarled, throwing a handful of fire at him.

Voldemort leapt back, but the fire twisted in midair and struck him in the chest.

With a slight scowl, Voldemort doused the flames with a wave of his wand. "These were my favorite robes too," he quipped.

Lily growled. It was an animal sound of rage and frustration. Her fingernails were beginning to lengthen into claws. He was toying with her.

"Lily," James said rushing into the room. Before he could say more, Wormtail's stunner struck him in the face and he dropped to the ground.

Lily hadn't moved. Her eyes remained focused on Voldemort's face. The sorcerer nodded in satisfaction.

"You are indeed a worthy adversary. Someone has trained you well, but…" he stopped.

Lily felt an impact on the top of her head and everything went black.

"Not well enough," he finished, kicking the chunk of wood he'd summoned from the broken door aside. He looked down at the unconscious woman. The top of her skull had been dented and her hair was streaked with blood, but as he watched, the wound was already healing. He had to move quickly. Stepping over her prone form, he headed straight for the nursery where he could hear the cries of an infant.

Sirius stepped out onto the landing above him, blocking his path.

"Step aside,' Voldemort commanded.

"No," Sirius said icily. "I will not let you harm the children."

"I don't have time for this," Voldemort hissed. He flicked his wand, there was a burst of green light, and Sirius crumpled to the floor.

Hearing a snarl behind him, he turned just in time to see a creature with the head of a wolf grab Wormtail and sink it's fangs into his back.

Wormtail let out a pitiful squeal before the jaws tightened nearly cutting him in half. Blood splattered the walls and ceiling. The creature rose to its feet. Taking Wormtail's body in its clawed hands, it tossed him at the nearest wall. His body exploded into a bloody pulp on impact. Looking up at Voldemort, the wolf/human hybrid roared in rage.

Voldemort raised his wand and fired the strongest killing curse he could. The flash of green light made the room as bright as day. The wolf creature flew backwards, landing hard on its back. Voldemort could see its chest heaving, but it was stunned for the moment. Turning back to the stairway, he took then two at a time and hurried towards the crying infants.

Entering the room, he saw a woman with long blond hair and blue eyes standing in front of the crib. With a flick of his wand, he sent her flying to the side. She slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch and lay still. He turned back to the crib, just in time to see a well-muscled man with brown hair and brown eyes appear.

The man dropped the silvery cloak to the floor and faced Voldemort. "I guess you've killed my Mother?" he asked calmly.

Voldemort nodded. "She died quickly. I give you my word that she did not suffer."

Frank didn't answer. He just stood there in front of the crib, his arms folded. He made no move to draw his wand.

"I don't suppose you'd step aside?" Voldemort asked.

Frank shook his head. "If you want my son, you're going to have to kill me."

"You and your wife are both pure-bloods," Voldemort said almost pleadingly. "There is no need for you to die. I don't want to do this. I abhor violence against children, I truly do, but the Wizarding world needs me. It needs me to protect it from the Muggles. Look at what they've done to their own world. There's been two world wars in the past century. There's been a total of at least four wars in the past two. They are a stain on this earth that needs to be cleansed before it infects everything."

Frank glared at Voldemort. "You can pretty it up all you like, but we both know why you hate muggles, don't we Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Voldemort's eye twitched, but he gave no other sign that he recognized the name. Frank continued.

"When you take out all the bullshit, the reason you hate muggles can be traced back to your Father. Do I trust Muggles? No, but the Muggle-borns have just as much right to learn magic as we do. Eventually, the muggles will learn of us and we need as many people that can explain our existence to them in a way they can understand."

Frank took a deep breath. "Your vendetta against the muggles isn't to save the wizards, no matter what you tell yourself. It's revenge, pure and simple."

Voldemort slowly nodded. "You may be right," he conceded, "but that doesn't make what I've said any less true. The wizards need me to protect them. I will make sure that no other muggle can abandon their child." He raised his wand. "Step aside."

"No," Frank said lifting his chin.

There was a flash of green light and Frank dropped to the floor.

Voldemort approached the two cribs and looked down at the two babies sleeping there. The one with sapphire blue hair was obviously not Neville Longbottom, so Voldemort ignored him. He turned to the boy with brown hair and blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, my boy." The green light lit up the room.

Voldemort had just enough time for his eyes to widen. Then there was pain. He heard screams, explosions, he smelled fire, and then everything was gone.

XXX

Voldemort became aware of a stone room around him. He could see torches in bronze holders lining the walls. There flickering light shone on a marble thrown with strange unquiet runes carved into it. The runes seemed to move when he wasn't looking.

A woman reclined on the throne, her black hair tied into two pigtails. It took him a minute, but Voldemort noticed the two small horns jutting from her forehead.

"Hello Tom," the woman said. "I have waited a long time to meet you."

Voldemort when to take a step back, and found himself flying backwards. Looking down, he saw his semi-transparent legs were not touching the floor.

The woman chuckled. "My name is Aeval," she continued. "It appears to me that you are in need of a body."

Voldemort looked down at his spectral hands. "I would have to agree with that assessment," he said.

"I can help you with that, for a price."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "What? Do you want money? Does it look like I have pockets?"

"I have a child that needs killing. I can't do it, but I can strengthen your spirit so you can possess someone and do it for me. Do this, and I'll restore your body, you have my word."

Voldemort laughed mirthlessly. "I'm just supposed to believe you? Look lady, I don't even know you."

"I am Aeval, queen of the Faerie. The fae do not break their word lightly. I can give you a body, but I want this task done first. Do we have a deal?"

Voldemort thought for a few moments. He couldn't exactly say no. After all, he'd just tried to kill one child. He shrugged. What was one more sacrifice for the magical world?

"Deal," he said offering his hand. He winced when he realized that Aeval's hand would pass right through his.

To his shock, Aeval took his hand and shook it solemnly. Her skin was smooth and cool. Leaning forward, she kissed Voldemort's forehead in a motherly way.

"Welcome to Faerie," she said gravely.

A/N Sorry this is so late, I was finishing up part of the outline for this last week and didn't finish it. Good news, I should be able to update every week now.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter THREE**_

Lily stirred sluggishly as the cold wind of late October blew her hair away from her face.

Sitting up, she stared around her. Where was she? What had happened? Why did her chest hurt? She shifted slightly and felt something sharp and pointed dig into her right buttock. Looking down, she saw a broken chunk of wood. Judging by the shape, she guessed it probably came from the table in the kitchen. Looking up, there was a giant hole where the roof had been.

It all came back in a flood. She remembered Voldemort blasting the door open, Peter stunning James, herself killing Pettigrew, and Voldemort killing Sirius. Wincing, she slowly and painfully climbed to her feet. Stumbling over bits of wood and shattered stone she knelt beside James, pressing two fingers to his neck.

She sighed in relief. His pulse was slow but strong. Stumbling up the stairs, she looked down at Sirius. She didn't have to touch him. The smell of cooling blood and voided bowels told her all she needed to know. As she heard the soft whimpers of the two infants in the room up ahead, she quickened her pace. Bursting into the nursery, she hurried over to the two cribs nearly tripping over Frank's sprawled form.

Harry gripped the bars of the crib, gazing at her. "Mamma," he whimpered.

Lily stared at him. He was still as tiny as ever, but here he was standing, and now he'd said his first word. She gently lifted him from the crib. Looking him over, she was relieved to see no injuries.

Harry snuggled into her breast. His eyes immediately began to droop. Within seconds, he was asleep. Hugging him close, Lily turned her attention to Neville who lay in his crib, whimpering softly.

The first thing she noticed was the serpent shape scar burned into his forehead. Looking closer, she felt a thread of disquiet as she noticed the detail of the scar. It looked more like a tattoo than a scar. There were even scales and eyes burned into his flesh. She gently touched the scar with the tip of one finger. Concentrating, she numbed the area around it. Neville smiled up at her and stopped whimpering. Tucking the blanket around him, she kissed his forehead. Shifting Harry to her other arm, she knelt to check on Frank.

Like Sirius, he was dead. Gently, she closed his eyes before turning to Alice. She noticed her friend's fingers twitching and knelt beside her.

"Alice," she said urgently. "Alice can you hear me?"

Alice groaned. "Lily?" she whispered.

She gently laid Harry back in the crib.

Running her fingers through Alice's hair, she found a dented spot in the right side of Alice's skull. Laying her hand flat on Alice's head, she willed her magic to repair the damage.

She felt the energy drain from her. There was a minute cracking sound as Alice's fractured skull knit back together. Alice's eyes immediately cleared and she gripped Lily's arm.

"Lily?" she said sitting up, nearly hitting Lily in the nose with her forehead. "What happened? Is Neville alright? What about the others?"

"Neville's fine," Lily assured her. "He has a scar, but otherwise he is not much the worse." She paused, unsure of how to continue. "Frank," she began.

Alice's eyes widened and her face paled. "No," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. Lily slipped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing tightly.

"I know," she murmured. "I know how you feel." With her help, Alice managed to stumble to her feet. Lily guided her to the crib, showing her Neville sleeping soundly. At sight of her son, Alice let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the small serpent shaped scar burned into his forehead.

"I don't like it," she said frowning heavily. "It looks far too perfect to be a mere scar." She looked sideways at Lily. "You healed me. Couldn't you…"

Lily shook her head. "The scar was inflicted by magic. I am able to perform minor healing spells, but injuries caused by spells are beyond my skill to mend. As far as the perfection of the image burned into his forehead, I had much the same thought. I'd let a ST. Mungo's healer take a look at it. Maybe they can tell us more about it."

Alice nodded absently, running her fingers through Neville's hair. She kissed his forehead, right on his scar. She waved her wand, conjuring a second blanket. She laid it atop the first and tucked both blankets tighter around him. She glanced back at Lily. "Something is wrong," she said. "Dumbledore or someone should've been here by now. It's been what, at least a quarter of an hour?"

Lily looked down at her watch, but the face had been shattered during her battle with Voldemort. She showed the broken watch to Alice.

"I don't know what time it is, but I'm sure you're right. I'll go and see if I can contact Dumbledore. Will you be alright here for a few moments?"

Alice lifted a sleeping Neville from his crib, hugging him close. "I'll be fine." She glanced back at Frank's body before looking away. "Were there any other casualties?"

"Sirius," Lily said shortly.

Alice winced and looked down at the floor. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed something.

"Lily," she said sharply. "Look at this?"

Lily followed Alice's gaze and noticed a charred pile of cloth and a blackened piece of wood. Kneeling, she prodded the cloth with the tip of one finger. "I think it's robes. Look at this."

Alice knelt beside her. She touched the white powdery substance Lily indicated. "It's ashes."

Lily picked up the piece of wood. "I think this is what's left of his wand." She stood up abruptly. "I need to go contact Dumbledore."

XXX

Dumbledore lowered the blanket over Frank's body and tucked the sides around him neatly. He glanced over to where Lily was doing the same with Sirius.

"I didn't see Peter betraying us," he said sadly. "I never would've believed he could be so cold."

"Why stun me, but let Voldemort kill Sirius," James said rubbing his head.

Lily grimaced. "That is probably my fault," she said pointing to the bloody smear on the wall. "I was kind of ripping him apart by that point."

Dumbledore squeezed her shoulder. "Don't let it bother you, my dear. From your story, Voldemort was getting more than a little impatient."

"I suppose," Lily said quietly.

"Do we know where Augusta's body is?" Alice asked. "She is a Longbottom and I'd like her buried in the family plot if possible."

"Sadly no," Dumbledore said. "I am afraid we may never find her body because we don't know where Voldemort's hideout was."

Alice frowned down at the floor. "I guess a stone will have to do. I'll need to get Frank's body ready for funeral. I think I'm just going to burn this place to the ground. I don't see myself or Neville ever coming back here." She looked at James. "You and Frank were close. Would you be willing to help out with everything?"

"Sure," James said. "I'll do what I can."

Lily looked on awkwardly. She felt like a third wheel. It was only now that the fighting and hiding were over that she realized how much things had changed. True, the time had been much shorter for her friends than for her, but it still felt as if they'd all been the ones to move on without her. She glanced over at Dumbledore and was startled to see him giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Why don't you return to Hogwarts," he said. "There is nothing more you can do here."

Lily glanced back at Alice who smiled sadly. "Go," she said softly. "I'll let you know if I need anything."

Lily gathered Harry in her arms and stood. After bidding the others good-bye, she turned on her heal, vanishing from the cottage.

XXX

Voldemort watched Lily vanish with her cub. As soon as she was gone, the mist faded.

"Wards," Aeval snapped. "They're blocking my ability to see."

"Seeing does you no good if you are trapped here," Voldemort pointed out. "How exactly are you going to attack him? Am I just supposed to wait until he's older?"

"No," Aeval hissed her eyes blazing at the mere thought. "The older he gets, the stronger he will become. Unfortunately, I can only hold onto my rule if the brat is dead. He is Oberon's true heir. The fae will accept me until the gates are open again, but as soon as that happens they will want the bitch back. She may not be fae, but she did acquire a following while she was here."

"Couldn't you tell them that Lily killed Oberon?"

Aeval gave the ghost a look that stated more plainly than words, 'You are an idiot.'

"I may be able to convince the fae for a while. Their senses are more acute than humans, but most can't detect a lie by scent alone. As long as I was speaking to a group, I should be fine. . The shifters are the problem. They would detect even the slightest change in my heart rate and temperature."

"A queen that can't lie to a group of her subjects? How did you ever stay in power for so long?"

Voldemort screamed as pain shot through his body.

"Do not tempt me little man," Aeval thundered. "You may have found the methods to bind your soul to this plane, but never forget that while you are here, I own you."

The pain faded, leaving Voldemort trembling. He looked down at himself, expecting to see skin and muscle torn away. His skin was unblemished. He shuddered.

This Aeval was far more dangerous than he'd first thought. He'd had no idea she could cause him such pain, but now that he knew, he was going to have to be careful. He opened his mouth to say something, but was jerked backward by an unseen force. Before he could utter a sound, he was gone.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort blinked. A dark void stretched as far as the eye could see. He could feel hard unyielding earth underneath his feet. There was no sun or moon overhead, just darkness all around. He raised an arm to shield his eyes as a light blinded him.

The world seemed to spring up around him. Grass grew out of the earth. A blue sky appeared above him as if it had been painted on the very air. Sunlight bathed his skin and a soft breeze ruffled his hair.

"What?" he whispered. "Am I alive?"

"Afraid not," a man's voice said. "This is limbo. It responds to the will of its occupants."

Voldemort turned to face the newcomer. His eyes widened as he noticed the blue hair and gold eyes. "You're Oberon," he gasped, "but you're dead."

"So are you," Oberon said conversationally. "As you are well aware, dead does not necessarily mean departed."

Two comfortable looking armchairs appeared beside them, looking distinctly out of place in the meadow they were in. "Sit please," Oberon said gesturing to one of the armchairs.

Voldemort sat down, still staring at Oberon. "What do you want? I suppose you are here to ask me not to kill your son."

"Among other things," Oberon said. "I'm here to try and talk you out of your mad quest to save the wizards by killing the Muggle-borns."

"We have the fae," Voldemort said. "We have no need of the Muggle-born. You've seen how the muggles are. Can you honestly say you'd trust them with the fae? They kill anything they don't understand. Hell, look how much they fight among themselves. If there opinion is challenged, they go on the attack. Some of them whine like three year olds when they don't get there way and we aren't talking about the children. How do you think they'd react to a race of mortals with magic, or a nonhuman race that is ageless? They would want to strip you of the gifts you were born with, or try and copy those gifts for themselves."

"You may be right about the nonmagicals, but you can't kill all of them. There are billions of nonmagicals and only a few million wizards. Do I need to remind you of what Hitler did back in the 1940's? Besides, the Muggle-born as you call them have just as much right to practice magic as other wizards do. Think about it, if they were left untrained, there magic could potentially reveal the wizarding world.

"SO we should just accept them and wait for them to betray us?" Voldemort snapped.

"If you give them the same opportunities as all wizards they will have no reason to betray you," Oberon said calmly. "However, if you mistreat them and treat them like second class citizens, then they will rise up and destroy your way of life."

Voldemort rose and kicked his chair away. "Enough," he shouted. "I will do what needs to be done and no dead king is going to stop me. I am sorry what has to happen to your son, but it is necessary. His sacrifice will insure my return."

"Ah," Oberon said interrupting him. "Your return. Yes, tell me, did Aeval promise you a human body?"

Voldemort froze. Oberon was right. She'd promised to return him to a body, but she hadn't said anything about a human body.

"One thing about fae," Oberon said. "If we like you we'll do all we can to aid you. However, if we don't like you, we'll just follow the letter of our word." He smirked. "Does Aeval like you? If she does, will she like you tomorrow?"

Before Voldemort could say a word, Oberon had stood. "That's enough talk for now. Think about what I said. I'd really hate to see a race be wiped out due to one man's stupidity. Heaven knows I've seen that more times than I can count."

"But Oberon is only a thousand years old,' Voldemort protested. "All the stories say you were born in the ninth century."

Oberon chuckled. "Do you think Oberon is the only name I've gone buy?"

Before Voldemort could say anything, he found himself flying through space once again.

 _ **XXX**_

Aeval blinked as Voldemort reappeared before her. He'd only been gone a few seconds by her point-of-view, but the shocked expression on his face said it was probably longer to him.

"Where were you," she snapped.

"No time for that," Voldemort growled. "Are you going to give me a humanoid form after I kill the brat?"

Aeval blinked again. "What? Why wouldn't I give you a humanoid form?"

"I met your husband, or should I say X-husband? He said if the fae don't like you, they'll only follow the letter of their word."

Aeval giggled girlishly. "Crafty," She smiled at the ghost. "Did he tell you that was the code of the Seelie court, not the high court of Faerie?"

Voldemort stopped, his mouth snapping shut. Aeval touched his cheek with a cool hand.

"Can't you see what he's doing? He is trying to drive a wedge between us. He is trying to make you mistrust me to protect his bitch and her cub."

Voldemort stared at her unsure of what to believe. Could he trust her? More important, could he afford not to?

Aeval leaned forward staring into his eyes. "I swear to you that I will restore your former body once you have completed the task I've given you."

Voldemort saw the flash of light that accompanied her words and sighed in relief. "Alright," he said gruffly. "What do we do now?"

Aeval's smile was all teeth. "Before we figure that out, I need to know what else Oberon told you."

XXX

Lily frowned as she passed Severus Snape in the corridor again. Every time she passed him, he reeked of fear. However, it was only when she was around. When he was unaware of her presence, he was as calm as ever. Could he be afraid of her now that she was a shifter? No, that wasn't right. They'd talked right after her divorce, if you considered Snape pointing out her mistake in marrying James a talk. He hadn't been afraid of her then, so why would he fear her now? What had changed? She stopped dead, staring at his back. Voldemort had to find out about the Longbottoms some way. Who could've informed him of their location? Had Snape caused the death of Frank and Sirius? He had been a Death Eater. Would Dumbledore have allowed him to stay in the school if he'd done so?

Lily's teeth ground in frustration. Unfortunately, she had to conclude that yes, he would most certainly allow it. Dumbledore was all for giving people a second chance. She had to know. If Snape had been the one to cause Neville to grow up without a Father, then he had to pay.

Lily pointed her index finger at Snape's back. There was a flash of light and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Moving quickly, Lily grabbed him and apparated away.

 _ **XXX**_

Dumbledore jerked in his chair, clutching his head. Someone had just apparated out of Hogwarts, but that was impossible. He rose, and kicking his chair aside, barely made it to the toilet before vomiting everything he'd eaten that day. Straightening up, he wiped sweat from his forehead. Performing a cleaning spell on his beard, he stumbled back to his desk. Who had managed to apparate through the wards? Why had they felt the need to do so? He would need to investigate this.

 _ **XXX**_

Landing in a clearing in the forbidden forest, Lily dropped Snape. With a gesture, she woke him. She watched impassively as he stared around himself wildly. After a few seconds, his eyes landed on her.

"Lily," he muttered thickly. "Where… what…"

"Cut the crap," Lily snapped. "Why are you afraid of me?"

Snape stared at her blankly. "What? I don't know what you're…"

Lily cut him off with a raised hand. "Enough! I can smell your fear. You weren't afraid of me until after the attack at the Longbottoms. Why is that?"

Snape said nothing. He stared down at the ground as if seeing something fascinating there. Reaching out, Lily yanked the left sleeve of his robes up. "Ah," she hissed. "I thought so." There, burned into his flesh, was a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. "So, Voldemort branded you like one of his prized cows did he?"

Snape flinched at her tone. "Lily I…" he began.

"Shut up," Lily screamed. Her eyes had turned amber now. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Lily, I didn't know," Snape pleaded. "I didn't know that you would be there. I swear if I knew, I would've tried to talk him out of attacking that house."

"Not that you idiot," Lily said shoving him back to the ground. "Although I'd kill you for that alone, that's not what I'm talking about. Did you even care that the Longbottoms were going to lose their son? Do you care that Neville is going to grow up without a Father?"

"I was a Death Eater," Snape protested. "I was loyal to Voldemort at the time and why do you care about the Longbottom boy? He is not your concern."

"And when did you switch sides, hmmm? I bet it was after you found out I'd gone into hiding with the Longbottoms. You only started working at Hogwarts when you discovered that your obsession was in danger. As for why I care, my son will grow up without his Father. I would not subject another child to that if I could help it."

"That's not," Snape began. "I was never obsessed with you. I love you Lily. Can't you see that?"

"You never loved me. I'm not even sure you know what the word means. I know you continued to watch me after our friendship was broken. What would you have done if I would've been the one in danger from Voldemort?"

"I wouldn't have let him hurt you," Snape insisted. "I swear it Lily."

"What about Harry? Would you have saved him? I assume you know by now that he isn't James's son? Would you have made sure that he lived, or would you have swooped in to save the grieving Mother during her time of need?"

Snape was silent. He knew that Lily would smell a lie. He looked up at her amber eyes glowing in her pale face and shuddered. He had to escape. He couldn't let it all end this way, killed by his former best friend. What was he going to do though? She was faster than him. She would know if he went for his wand. There was a rustling sound behind him. He froze. His eyes widened as a smile blossomed on Lily's face.

"I was wondering when they would show up."

Snape reached for his wand, but found the pocket empty. "Lily," he choked. "What are you doing?"

Lily held up his wand, twirling it between her fingers. "It's such a tragedy," she sighed dramatically. "You went into the forest to gather potion ingredients and were set upon by the acramantula' that live here. Not everyone will believe it of course, but then again, that doesn't really matter. The point is they will never be able to tie me to your death."

"You can't do this," Snape said panicked. He could hear the rustling noises growing closer. "I admit I was a Death Eater, but Death Eaters deserve a fair trial."

"I would agree with you, but did Dumbledore know you were a Death Eater?"

"Of course," Snape said. "I informed him when I switched sides."

"And yet he did nothing. That implies that he would speak for you at your trial. Since Veritaserum is not admissible in court, you would probably get off. No Severus, we can't have that. You must pay for the murders you helped commit."

"Lily," Snape shrieked as webs shot out of the shadows, binding him tightly. "Please, I can change. Give me a chance."

"Have you killed during your service to Voldemort? Have you slain anyone that could not defend themselves?"

Snape didn't answer, continuing to struggle against the webbing holding him.

"I thought so," Lily said tossing his wand to him. "Feel free to fight now."

Snape deftly caught his wand and shot a fire spell at the webbing holding him. The webbing was burned through immediately, but more spun out of the shadows to take its place. A hairy leg reached out of the shadows and plucked the wand from his fingers. Snape let out a howl of pain as the webbing tightened. Blood ran down his arms where the webbing dug into his skin. He could feel more blood soaking through his clothes.

"Lily," he begged. "You are not a murderer. Please, there's still time. Don't let this be your last memory of me. Please, for the sake of the friendship we lost, help me."

Lily lifted a hand and pointed a finger at him. "You're right, I'm not a murderer, but this isn't murder. It's justice. Did you torture anyone when you were a Death Eater?"

Snape nodded reluctantly. "Yes," he whispered.

"Sorry then, I'm all out of mercy." Turning Lily left the forest, Snape's screams of agony ringing in her ears. It was only after she was out of sight that she allowed the tears to fall.

She cried for the little boy who'd introduced her to the wizarding world. She cried for the friend that allowed his own hatred and insecurities to run his life, but most of all, she cried for the man he might have been.

 _ **XXX**_

Snape's mutilated body was found at the edge of the forbidden forest. His death was greeted with shock. After it was determined that the acramantula had killed him, A team of aurors was sent into exterminate them. The groundskeeper, Hagrod, pleaded that they weren't a danger, but no one would listen. With the acramantulas gone, the atmosphere in Hogwarts slowly returned to normal.

Harry continued to develop far faster than a normal child. By February he was walking and by the end of the year, when Lily had finished her Charms apprenticeship and gained her mastery, he was talking. True, it was only a few words, but Lily was still impressed considering he was only around a year old. On the last day of term, she met with Dumbledore in his office.

"What will you do now?" he asked pouring her a cup of tea.

"I got a house purchased," Lily said after taking a sip of tea and wiping her mouth. "I think I'm going to take Harry there. Flitwick is going to let me teach part time, so I'll have some income coming in. I'll need to find a babysitter for Harry, but I don't expect that'll be too difficult. I'll floo in in the morning and floo home at night. It's a good thing I don't start until the fall. That'll give me plenty of time to help Harry get used to his new environment."

"What about Aeval? Aren't you worried that she'll attack Harry when you're not there?"

"She's trapped in Faerie," Lily said shrugging. "Besides, we can't live our lives in fear. Aeval will not want to expose the fae to the Muggle world and I'll be moving to a Muggle village."

"Oh," Dumbledore said raising an eyebrow. "What is the name of this village? Have I heard of it?"

"Ottery ST. Catchpole."

"Ah yes," Dumbledore said. "If that is where you are moving to, I may know of a family you want to meet."

"Who's that?" Lily asked curiously.

Dumbledore smiled. "Oh trust me you've lived among the fae. I think you'll like them."

 _ **XXX**_

Lily stared up at the house towering high above her. It had started life as a simple one roomed cottage, but had been added onto over the centuries. It was now several stories high with several rooms jutting crookedly off the main structure. It was clear the only thing holding the house up was magic. She looked down at Harry standing beside her clutching her hand.

"What do you think," she asked him.

"House," Harry said. "Big house." A suspicious gleam appeared in his eye. "Finite," he said excitedly.

Lily chuckled and scooped him up. "Yep," she said. "Big house. I don't think they'd want a finite spell cast at it though. It might make it go crash."

Harry giggled. "Cwash," he said.

Lily kissed his forehead. "Come on, we're going to meet the people that live in the big house."

She had just stepped onto the porch when the door flew open. A plump woman with long red hair and brown eyes stood framed in the doorway.

"Hello dear, you must be Lily. It is a pleasure to meet you. Albus told us you were coming. Come in come in. My name is Molly by the way. I'm sorry," she said blushing. "Things are a bit hectic around here what with five kids at home and all."

Feeling a bit dazed at the woman's rapid greeting, Lily allowed herself to be ushered inside. As she took a seat at the kitchen table, the woman looked at Harry. "So, this is Oberon's child?"

Lily nodded, kissing the top of Harry's head. "This is Harry Oberon Evans."

"Evans?" Molly asked.

Lily cleared her throat awkwardly. "Oberon didn't have a last name, so I gave Harry mine."

"I see," Molly said smiling. "I do wonder how the fae keep track of bloodlines without a last name. Oh well, that's neither here nor there is it? Would you like some tea?"

"Sure," Lily said hesitantly. No sooner had the word left her mouth, than a cup of tea and a plate of chocolate biscuits appeared in front of her.

"Help yourself," Molly said taking a seat across from her. "The kids are supposed to be down for a nap right now, so we have a bit to talk."

"Supposed to be?" Lily asked curiously.

"Well, Ron and Ginny are definitely napping. Percy's probably in his room, but Fred and George," she broke off and sighed.

"A bit rambunctious are they?" Lily asked amused.

Molly snorted. "Troublemakers more like." She glanced at Harry who was eyeing the biscuits hungrily.

"How is he by the way? Does he get into everything?"

"Fae children develop slightly faster than human children do, so he's already walking and saying a few words."

"Impressive," Molly said. "How old is he?"

"A little less than a year old. He was born on June 21 of last year."

"So since fae children develop quicker, I suppose he'll start Hogwarts when he's ten or so."

Lily winced. "Oh please don't mention Hogwarts. I'm not ready to give him up just yet."

Molly nodded and smiled. "I know what you mean. Even after sending two off to Hogwarts, it never gets any easier."

Their conversation was interrupted by the cry of an infant. Molly stood. "Excuse me."

She left the room and returned a few seconds later carrying a baby girl with flaming red hair the same color as her Mothers.

Sitting back down, she summoned a bottle and began to feed the little girl. "This is my youngest, Ginny."

Harry spoke up for the first time. "Baby," he said excitedly. "Pretty baby."

Lily kissed the tip of his nose. "Yes, pretty baby," she said. "Now shh, Molly's trying to feed the baby."

"Oh that's quite alright," Molly said. "This one is quite used to loud noises." She gave Lily a shrewd look. "Albus said you would need a babysitter for next year?"

Lily nodded. "I have a part time job teaching the first years charms at Hogwarts. It doesn't pay much, but we'll get buy. I'll be flooing home at night, but I need someone to watch Harry while I'm working."

Molly nodded. "Well, why don't we try it out and see how things go. You've got the summer off, so bring Harry over tomorrow to introduce him to all the children. We'll see how well they get along and go from there."

"Sounds reasonable," Lily said. "What time should I come?"

"Say around half passed nine or ten O'clock?"

"Sounds good," Lily said standing. "It was nice meeting you Molly."

"Nice meeting you as well, Lily," Molly said standing with a sleeping Ginny in her arms. "I think this is going to work out. I'm sure the children will get along just fine."

Lily smiled. "I'm sure they will."

Lily left the house feeling hopeful. Perhaps things were starting to look up.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter FOUR**_

Aeval slowly approached the cell. The runes etched into the iron bars glowed with a fierce blue light. From inside the cell came the snarls and growls of an enormous beast.

"What is that thing?" Voldemort asked drifting up beside her. He glanced along the low stone corridor. Row upon row of cells stretched as far as the eye could see. Most of the iron bars were dark, but a few glowed with the same blue light.

"This is where we keep the fallen ones," Aeval said.

"Fallen ones?" Voldemort reached out to touch the bars.

"Don't!" Aeval snapped. "Those are warded. Oberon never told me what they'd do to anything that touched them, but I'm fairly sure it's not pleasant."

Voldemort pulled his hand back. Whatever was behind the bars snarled and slammed against the door. There was a screeching sound as if the creature was dragging its claws along the metal.

"Ah," Aeval sighed sadly. "Poor Thor, he has fallen far from what he once was."

"Thor?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was the god of thunder."

"He had power over thunder, but the fae aren't gods. Oberon ruled the fae for over two thousand years. Although he was a great and wise king, he was very controversial. One of his more wearisome laws stated that the fae could not accept the worship of mortals. They could come to their aid if they wanted, but they were not to accept sacrifices from them.

At the time, we all thought he was just trying to protect the humans. We believed that he was choosing the mortals over the fae. Some of our people, such as Thor disobeyed those laws. They accepted the sacrifices made to them and grew powerful. Eventually, they began absorbing the souls of their followers after their deaths and that's where everything went wrong. The act of absorbing souls corrupted them. It caused them to regress into a bestial state. Oberon took it upon himself to slay most of them, but Thor was his brother. He couldn't bring himself to kill him, so he locked him away down here."

Aeval took a large silver key from her cloak. The barrel of the key was engraved with the same runes that adorned the bars. "He's escaped several times to satisfy his need for flesh, blood, and souls. The mortals have given him a new name." She smiled cruelly. "It has been six months since the bitch moved to the mortal world. I think her guard is sufficiently lowered for me to make my move."

She slipped the key into the lock and turned it. The locks clicked open with a grating sound of long disuse. The glowing runes on the bars snapped off. As soon as they were off, the creature inside the cell shoved the door open.

Voldemort stared at what emerged from the cell. The beast was at least nine feet tall and covered in patches of red and white fur. Chains wrapped it from head to foot. They clinked as the creature moved. Its large feet were cloven like those of a goat. Large curling horns brushed the ceiling. In one clawed hand the creature held a long whip. In the other it held a large red sack.

"Hello Crampus," Aeval said. "It has been so long. How are you?"

The creature opened its mouth revealing long pointed fangs. Its hairy face worked for a few seconds.

"What do you want," it growled. Its voice was thick and guttural as if it were gurgling with rocks.

"I have a job for you, Crampus. There is someone I need dead. After all these years I thought you might enjoy some dinner."

"Who," Crampus boomed.

Aeval leaned forward, ignoring the smell of rotten meet wafting from Crampus's open mouth."

"Did you know you had a nephew?"

XXX

Lily smiled as she watched the children play in the snow. It was rare to get this much snow in Ottery ST. Catchpole according to Molly, but everyone was happy none the less. Who wouldn't be with over a foot of snow to play in near Christmas. She glanced over at Harry and Ginny who were sitting together solemnly patting snow together.

As she watched, Ginny reached out a tiny hand. A few dead branches rose from the ground and zoomed towards their pile of snow. As they moved through the air, they shifted, becoming wooden arms. Harry looked back at the house. Hearing a noise from behind her, Lily turned to see a carrot rise into the air and fly towards the door.

Lily rose and opened the door just enough for the carrot to fly through. As she watched, the carrot and the wood attached themselves to the snow. Harry glanced at more dead branches and they became legs that attached themselves to the snowman.

Ginny giggled and clapped her hands. "Incredible," Molly said from behind Lily causing her to jump.

"It is," Lily said never taking her eyes off the snowman. "I've never seen anything like it. I mean I knew that fae children were more developed, but I've never seen two infants work together like that. Not to mention their use of wandless magic."

Molly stepped up beside Lily, frowning slightly. "I wonder if we shouldn't bind Ginny's magic for a while. I'd hate for her to reveal the existence of magic to the muggles."

"Bind it," Lily said shocked. "Heavens no, we should train her. She has the potential to be the strongest witch ever born. Why stifle her growth?"

"But the statute of secrecy," Molly said worriedly.

Lily placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry," she said soothingly. "There are three of us here and Harry's been doing magic like this for months. I'm sure we can contain anything those two do."

"They do seem close, don't they," Molly said smiling at the two babies who were now making the snowman walk across the yard.

Before Lily could answer, she saw a flicker of movement behind her. Turning her head, her eyes widened.

"Oberon," she whispered.

"Sweat dripped from his blue hair and ran down his transparent face. His gold eyes were wide and filled with panic. "Lily," he gasped. "You have to get the children inside now."

"But Oberon, how are you…?"

"There's no time. You have to get the children inside before he gets here."

"Before who gets here, I don't understand."

There was a deafening roar from outside. Lily spun back to the window and screamed.

A towering creature stood in the snow. Its horns gleamed in the winter sunlight, black eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Harry.

"Boy," it bellowed, shaking the burrow on its foundations.

"What is that thing?" Molly shrieked, rushing towards the door.

"Crampus," Oberon answered.

There was a crack and Arthur appeared. "What's going on," he panted. "All the hands on that watch you two made me just started pointing to Mortal peril."

"We're being attacked," Lily answered as she rushed out the door.

Crampus was just reaching for Harry when Lily shifted into her wolf hybrid form and tackled him to the ground. Her massive jaws closed on Crampus's arm and ripped a chunk of flesh away. Blood spurted from the wound. Crampus howled and hurled her off.

Lily flew through the air, landing in a crouch a few feet away. Snarling, she rushed Crampus again, her claws scoring several deep cuts across its chest.

More blood flowed from the cuts soaking its fur.

Crampus snarled again and swung at her. Lily dodged the strike nimbly and closed her jaws on its extended arm. Twisting her head violently, there was a wet snapping sound.

Crampus jerked its arm back, letting out a roar of agony. Lily could see bone sticking out of its forearm. Before she could react, she was sailing through the air again. She smashed into the side of The Burrow and sprawled on the ground, stunned.

"Ghoul," Arthur shouted.

Something flew passed Lily and smashed into the beast, driving them both to the ground. Crampus roared in thwarted rage and tried to sink its fangs into the creature, but wherever it snapped, the ghoul was simply not there.

A bony fist smashed into its face, bloodying its nose and sending several teeth flying. The ghoul drew back its head and slammed it's forehead into Crampus's newly broken nose.

Crampus howled in agony. It grabbed the ghoul and hurled it at the burrow as it had done with Lily.

Lily leapt up, catching the ghoul and placing it gently on the ground.

Crampus growled and stumbled to its feet. As they watched, all the injuries that had been inflicted on it began to heal. Its smashed nose straightened, the cuts on its chest healed, and its teeth grew back.

Snarling, Lily leapt at Crampus again only to have it flip her over its head.

She landed hard on her back. Her head struck a rock and she lay there, dazed. She felt the fur receding. Her face shifted, the muzzle retracting. Within seconds, she'd returned to her human form. Groaning, she managed to climb painfully to her feet.

"Well," she muttered. "No one ever said this would be easy." Flinging out a hand, Lily sent five killing curses at Crampus's face.

The barrage of green light engulfed Crampus. When it faded, Crampus let out a warbling sound. It took Lily a second to realize it was laughing at her.

It took a single step forward and howled in pain. Looking down, Lily saw that Harry and Ginny's snowman had launched itself at Crampus, plunging its wooden arms into the back of Crampus's legs. Smoke wafted from the wounds and the smell of burning hair filled the air.

Crampus shook itself violently, but the snowman hung on stubbornly. It dug its wooden arms in deeper, the sharp twig-like fingers severing the tendons in Crampus's legs.

Crampus fell flat on its face, howling in pain. The place where the wood went into its legs was charred black, as if it had been stabbed with a white hot poker. There was a soft crunching sound behind her. Turning, Lily saw a familiar hilt in the shape of a wolf sticking out of the snow. Grabbing the sword, Lily rushed Crampus just as the beast snapped the arms off the snowman. With a grunt, Crampus drug itself out from the pile of snow and crawled towards Lily.

Lily raised the sword above her head. The runes along the blade glowed fiercely in the winter sun. At sight of the sword, Crampus froze. It began to crawl backwards frantically. Taking one large step forward, Lily brought the sword down on Crampus's neck.

The sword sliced through the thick neck like a hot knife through melting candlewax. Crampus's head rolled away from its body. The beast twitched a few times and lay still. Panting, Lily lowered the sword and stared down at the ground.

"Lily," Arthur said walking up beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Lily said. "Is Harry…?"

"Molly got the kids in the house. You stopped that thing from getting anywhere near them. You saved my family, thank you."

"I think I might be the one that endangered your family," Lily said quietly. "That thing was after Harry and me."

"And if you hadn't been here, do you think you would've survived?"

Lily shook her head. "I may not have, but Harry would. I would've made sure of that."

Arthur gave Lily a quick one armed hug. "Look, my family are already known as blood-traitors because we don't follow the pure-blood ideals. If we can help you in any way, we will. We aren't going to drive you away. The Weasleys have a good amount of fae blood in our line anyway, so in a sense, you are family."

Lily wiped a tear off her cheek. "Thank you."

Arthur smiled. "Come on, let's get inside and see how the kids are doing."

 _ **XXX**_

Aeval stared through the mist as Crampus's corpse was covered in a thin layer of snow. She pouted and stamped her foot like a disappointed child. "Why couldn't that have been easy?"

"Did you really think it would be?" Voldemort asked.

"No, but I could hope. How was I supposed to know that blasted sword would show up?"

"I would've gotten away with it to if it wasn't for that meddling snowman and the stupid sword," Voldemort quipped.

Aeval raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated muggles?"

"Oh I do, but did you really think I spent all my life in the Wizarding world? No, I lived among them for about twenty years after graduating Hogwarts. If I'm going to end them, I had to learn about them. I wasn't going to just attack them without knowing what they were capable of."

"And?" Aeval asked. "What did you learn?"

Voldemort waved a hand. "That is not important right now. What are you going to do about Crampus? Its body doesn't appear to be fading away and the aurors are approaching."

Aeval leaned back on her throne. She wiped a shaking hand across her face. "Even if I wanted to do something, I couldn't. Creating a hole in the gate large enough for Crampus took a lot of my strength. I'll need time before I can manipulate the world through the gates again. Even then, I doubt I could muster enough magic to teleport Crampus's body away." She paused and took a drink from the glass of water sitting on the arm of her throne.

"I was careless," she admitted. "I saw an opportunity to get rid of the cub and I jumped at it. I shall have to be more careful in the future."

"Now what?"

"Now I rest," Aeval said. "The boy will have a respite from me. You will be my next option. I will send you through the gates. Since you do not possess a body, it will be child's play to get you back to the mortal world."

Voldemort bowed. "I await your command, mistress."

 _ **XXX**_

The auror stared down at Crampus's corpse. "Doesn't this break some kind of law," he grumbled.

"Technically no," his partner replied. "The girl said that it was sent to kill her. When she married the fae king, she became a citizen of Faerie. If his x-wife wants her dead, there's not much we can do. She isn't protected by the Changeling law."

"So what can we do?"

"We get rid of the evidence. Who knows, we may be able to use it for potion ingredients."

"What do we tell the ministry?"

"We'll report it to Bagnold, but she's not going to do anything."

His partner raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"I don't know," the auror said. "I don't understand why Bagnold resents the boy so much. We've always had a good relationship with the fae. Hell, even the pure-blood fanatics like them. I don't know what changed, but I intend to find out."

 _ **XXX**_

"So it tried to kill the boy?" Bagnold asked sipping her tea.

"Yes ma'am," the auror said.

"Shame it didn't succeed," Bagnold growled. "That might have fixed the problem."

"Problem?" the auror asked. "What kind of problem?"

"Never you mind," Bagnold snapped. "That will be all."

The two aurors turned and left the office. As the door closed behind them, Bagnold let out a breath.

She'd been arguing with Dumbledore for the past year and a half about publishing the information about the closing of the gates of Faerie. True, she had originally agreed to publish an article the following evening, but she'd found an excuse to postpone it. Since then, Dumbledore had been pushing for her to tell the public about the gates of Faerie." Luckily, no squibs appeared to have been discovered in that time. She knew she couldn't put it off any longer. The aurors were already becoming suspicious about why a fae would try and kill another fae. It was time to swallow her pride and do what needed to be done.

"Alright, Albus, you're getting what you want," she muttered.

Picking up a handful of floo powder, she tossed it into the fire. Once the flames had turned green, she stuck her head into the fireplace. "Offices of the daily prophet," she said clearly.

 _ **XXX**_

 _ **The king is dead and the gates are shut:**_

 _ **By Jacob Black**_

Last night, the Daily Prophet received an urgent call from Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold.

The Minister informed us that King Oberon, Lord of Faerie is now dead and his death has closed the gates of Faerie. Questioning the Minister further, this reporter learned that Oberon himself closed the gates of Faerie using a spell that activated upon his death.

Why would he do that? You may ask. Haven't the fae and the wizards been on good terms? Well, readers, the reason is simple.

It appears that Oberon has had a son. That's right, Faerie has an heir. However, what should be a joyous occasion for all has turned into a disaster. It appears that Aeval wanted to kill the child and in order to protect him, Oberon closed the gates of Faerie.

What does this mean for the wizards? Is our pact with the fae broken? Will Squibs begin resurfacing now that we do not have the fae to strengthen Wizarding bloodlines? Only time will tell.

Rest assured that this reporter will keep you posted on any new developments that we are made aware of.

 _ **XXX**_

Lily let the paper drop from her fingers. "Bloody hell," she muttered. "How could this get any worse? Now everyone knows that Harry is the reason the gates are shut."

"Don't worry," Molly said soothingly. "I'm sure they won't blame an innocent baby for the gates being closed. Besides, Harry wasn't mentioned by name. It'll be fine."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Arthur grunted. "Wizards have a tendency not to think rationally when they panic." Of course, that really applies to most people. It's not going to be hard to figure out who Harry's Father is. There are pictures of Oberon everywhere and how many wizard children have blue hair?" He ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Lily, do you know if the fae had a deal like that with all Wizarding countries?"

Lily shook her head. "I know a similar deal was in place with the Americans, but in that situation they weren't taking Squibs. They took Muggle-borns."

Molly's eyes widened. "What? Why would they do that?"

"You've read about the laws the Americans passed. With everything that happened, I can't say I blame them. The fae were concerned that they might mistreat the Muggle-borns. They couldn't come in and take all of them of course, and they knew better than to ask the parents of the children, so they selected Muggle-borns with some sort of genetic disorder. Once they'd found those Muggle-borns, they simply switched the children. That gave them a reason to guard all the Muggle-borns as if they were their own. It was a loophole built into the Changeling law to insure that all magical children were protected."

"Genetic disorders?" Arthur asked looking confused.

Lily nodded. "The fae don't go around stealing children for no reason. They need magic in order to breed, so they mainly have dealings with wizards and shifters, but occasionally they'll find a Muggle-born that has a fatal illness or disease. When that happens, they invoke the Changeling law and switch the children out. The sick Muggle-born is taken back to Faerie to be healed and the stunted fae child is left in its place."

"You said the fae were very selective on their choice of parents," Molly said. "What if the parents are unsuitable?"

Lily shrugged. "You have to understand that children, all children are sacred to the fae. If they watch a family and discover that the parents are unsuitable, they will steal the child and not leave a changeling."

"But what if only one parent is unsuitable?" Molly asked horrified.

"The fae believe that if they are willing to allow the child to be abused then they shouldn't be parents."

"But that's barbaric. Who are they to decide who has children and who doesn't?"

Arthur spoke up. "I assume they only do this with the Muggle-born or the shifters?"

"Or the gifted," Lily said. "If the child has any magic at all, the fae will watch them."

"It's not perfect, but at least they've protected the secret of magic."

"Arthur," Molly said shocked.

"I'll admit it's not right, but it works and at least the children are given good homes. I do wish the fae watched all the children and not just those with magic, but I recognize that would be impossible."

"What happens to the children that are in Faerie?" Molly asked. "It must be difficult for humans to grown up among the fae."

"For the most part, the fae breed true," Lily said. "That is because the children that are taken to Faerie eventually become Fae. The race of fae depends on the parents that took the child in. This insures that there is no prejudice while giving fresh blood to the fae lines." She glanced at Arthur. "It appears we got off topic. Why did you ask about other countries and the Changeling Law?"

"I was wondering if you would have problems if you moved to another country."

"Probably," Lily said. "With the gates closed, the Changeling law has been suspended." She sighed and rubbed a hand down her face. "I'll admit it. Oberon may have overreacted a bit."

Molly patted her hand. "Maybe, but he was just trying to protect his son from Aeval."

Lily smiled tightly. "You may be right, but now I've got to protect him from the wizards.' She grimaced. "If it isn't one thing it's another."

Arthur leaned forward. "It'll be alright. We'll help keep Harry safe. I'm sure everyone will come around eventually.'

"I hope so," Lily said softly. "I really hope so.'


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter five**_

Lily stared at the owl in shock. The seal on the scroll tied to its leg marked it as a Gringotts owl.

It had been ten years since she'd moved to Ottery ST. Catchpole. Why would Gringotts be contacting her now?" She had no vault with them, preferring to keep her money in an enchanted steel purse that only she could open.

Slowly, she removed the letter from the owl's leg. No sooner had she done so the owl rose into the air and flew out the open window.

Lily unrolled the parchment and began to read the flowing script.

Ms. Evans:

We must ask you and your son to report to Gringotts at your earliest convenience. We have a matter regarding your husband to discuss with you.

May your enemies drown in their own blood?

Bloodwind

Lily let the parchment slip from her fingers and flutter to the table.

"Mum?" Harry called entering the room. "How's it going? Listen, Ginny and I were talking…" He stopped as he saw the look on her face. "Mum? What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, Lily pointed to the parchment. "Honey, you might want to read this."

Curiously, Harry picked up the parchment and began to read. When he finished, he lowered it and stared at his Mother. "It's been ten years. Why would they be contacting us now?"

"I don't know. I didn't even know Oberon had a vault at Gringotts. He never mentioned it."

"Could he have forgotten about it? I mean he is older than Gringotts. It's possible that he just opened up a vault with them just in case he had to come here for one reason or another."

"Maybe," Lily said. "I don't see how he would've forgotten about it though. He had regular dealings with the Wizarding world. He would've had to make purchases and he would've needed the money to do that."

Harry ran his fingers through his blue hair. "Could this be a trap from Aeval?"

"I don't see how. I imagine it took a lot of power to send Crampus through the gates. She wouldn't have the power to do something like that again. Besides, goblins are wildfae. They owe no allegiance to Aeval. They gave up all claims to Faerie when they chose to live in the mortal world."

"Are we going to see them?"

"We'll have to," Lily said. "I don't know about you, but I'm curious what's going on."

"Me to. When do we go?"

"We'll head out tomorrow. I intend to tell Molly and Arthur where we've gone, just in case."

"Wait a second," Harry said excitedly. "Doesn't Bill work with Gringotts now?"

"He is working with the Egyptian branch."

Harry's shoulders slumped. "So he wouldn't be able to help us."

Reaching across the table, Lily patted his hand. "It was a good idea. We'll head over there tomorrow and see what we can find out. Come on, we need to talk to Arthur and Molly."

 _ **XXX**_

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Molly asked frowning. "I mean why take Harry with you?"

"The goblins requested both of us. What I can't figure out is why they waited ten years before contacting us."

Arthur scratched his balding head. "Could Oberon have put in a proviso that you weren't to be contacted until then?"

"Maybe, but what would be the purpose?"

"I don't know. You say the gates are closed. Is it possible the magic he used somehow interfered with goblin magic? Maybe they just recently learned of his death."

"Makes about as much sense as anything," Lily said shrugging."

"I still don't understand why you're taking Harry," Molly fretted. "It seems reckless to put him in that kind of danger for no reason."

Lily's eyes flashed. This wasn't the first time Molly had made that kind of statement. It was as if she thought Lily couldn't be a fit Mother for some reason. Since they'd helped her when she moved here, Lily had kept her mouth shut, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore Molly's little gibes."

"I've told you," she said stiffly. "The goblins requested us both. I wouldn't endanger my son needlessly.'

Molly's lips tightened. "And because they requested him, you're just going to take him right to them?"

"Harry's not helpless," Lily snapped. "I've trained him well. He can defend himself well enough to escape if the need arises."

"Yes," Molly said sarcastically. "You trained him to be a fighter while depriving him of a childhood."

"He has still had a childhood," Lily said sharply her eyes turning amber. "I can't help he's got a psychotic Faerie queen that wants to kill him on his trail."

"You said she's trapped in Faerie, so why train him now? Why not wait until he's older? While we're on the subject, why do you have to train Ginny? Isn't it enough that you're training Harry to be a soldier, but you have to steal my daughter's childhood as well?"

"She asked to be trained with Harry and she's damn good with wandless magic. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to tell her that she couldn't train with Harry?"

"Personally," Arthur said. "I would prefer Ginny know how to defend herself." He looked over at his wife who was glaring at him. "Have you forgotten there are still Death Eater factions out there?"

"She's a child," Molly snapped. She couldn't believe that Arthur was siding with Lily on this. Didn't he understand that he was forcing Ginny to grow up too quickly?

"That never mattered to the Death Eaters. They are just as bad as the Nazis were in WWII. . They killed men, women, and children just because of their blood status. The only difference is that we still have a lot of them in high positions in our society. If they thought they could get away with it, they'd start persecuting Muggle-borns and blood-traitors again."

Molly pressed her lips together. It was clear she wasn't going to win this argument. Arthur wasn't going to listen to reason. She would go along with this plan of theirs for now. "Fine," she snapped. "Fine, but I still think you both worry too much."

Arthur smiled sadly. "Better too much than not enough."

Lily stood. "I'll be going now. Is it alright if Ginny stays the night tonight?"

"Sure," Arthur said. "Just send her home before you go to Gringotts."

"Absolutely," Lily said smiling.

 _ **XXX**_

Arriving on a worn path surrounded by trees, Lily looked at the cottage that had been her home for the past ten years.

The logs were weathered, but still strong with not a crack showing between the wood. The slanting windows let in the sun in the morning, brightening up the small rooms. There was no electricity, but after five years living with the fae, Lily found she didn't need it. Opening the door she stepped inside.

The cottage consisted of seven rooms. There were two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a living room. There had been carpet when they moved in, but Lily had pulled it all up, knowing that if she happened to shift in the house, her claws would tear the carpet to shreds. Hearing Ginny's giggles, she headed towards the kitchen to see what was going on.

 _ **XXX**_

The quill dropped out of the air and landed on the table with a soft clatter. No sooner had it touch the table its shape seemed to waver. The quill twisted and writhed like a snake. In the space of a breath, it had become a spider scuttling across the desk. Ginny wiped sweat from her forehead and looked at Harry, her eyebrows raised. "Beat that."

The ink bottle he was levitating slowly lowered to the table. He leaned back, cracking his spine. Staring at the glass, the bottle rippled changing shape into an ink filled dragon complete with smoke drifting from its nostrils.

"Show off," Ginny grumbled.

"You're the one that chose the quill," Harry pointed out.

Ginny's eyes gleamed, her lips turning up in a smirk.

Harry looked back at the table just in time to see the spider Ginny had transfigured grow large enough to cover the kitchen table from end to end. Its pincers snapped open and it grabbed Harry ink dragon. It's maw yawned open and it swallowed it whole.

Harry snorted. "That was just rude." He shot Ginny a sideways glance. "It does beg the question if the spider will poop that out. If so, I wonder if it'll survive it?"

Ginny flicked a finger at the spider and it became a quill again. "Now it's not a problem," she said with a grin.

"You know Ron would've freaked out if he saw that spider, right?"

Ginny's lips twitched. "Why do you think I've been practicing so hard? I want to be ready for when they tell me I can't fly with them because I'm a girl again."

"That's just cruel," Lily said sounding amused.

Ginny gave Lily a worried look. "You're not going to tell my Mum are you?"

Lily smiled at her reassuringly. "So long as you don't make the spider poisonous I won't say a word."

"Thanks," Ginny said gratefully.

"Right," Lily said. "Why don't you two wash up? It'll be time for dinner soon. Ginny, I've talked to your parents and you can stay the night if you want."

Ginny beamed. "Yes."

Lily watched as the two kids raced out of the kitchen. She turned back to the kitchen table and with a gesture, vanished the remnants of their spell practice. Turning to the stove, she began to put together a pot of spaghetti for dinner. As she worked, she thought about the friendship between Harry and Ginny.

They'd always been close, even as babies. Harry had preferred Ginny's company to that of her brothers. That was not to say he didn't get along with the older Weasley boys because he did, but from the start, Ginny was his closest friend. When her brothers picked on her, Harry was there to defend her. When they picked on Harry, she was there to defend him. Lily wondered if Harry starting Hogwarts this year would weaken their friendship. She hoped not. It was good for Harry to have someone his own age to play with."

As she started the water boiling, her mind turned to Hogwarts. Would Harry even be able to go? Lily had taken him to a second hand Wander maker in Nockturn Alley, but he hadn't been able to find a wand. Without a wand, Harry would need a lot more focus to cast the simpler spells.

Perhaps Ginny could help him? Would he be willing to wait a year before starting Hogwarts? She would ask him after they picked up his school supplies. The sound of running feet drew her from her musings.

"Spaghetti?" Ginny asked sniffing the air as she entered the kitchen.

"We haven't had it in a while. Could you two set the table please?"

Nodding, the two began taking plates out of the cabinet. Once the spaghetti was done, Lily carried the pot to the table and set it down in the center. She also placed a plate of garlic bread and a bowl of pineapple. Sitting down, she filled her plate and gestured for Harry and Ginny to do the same.

As they began eating, Ginny looked at her seriously. "Harry says that you got a letter from Gringotts. Do you think it's a trap?"

"Like I told Harry, the fae have always been on good terms with the goblins. I don't see why they would want to trap Harry or myself for anything."

"My brother says goblins can't be trusted. He said they'd do anything for a little gold."

Lily sipped her glass of water. "Wizards and goblins haven't been on the best of terms, remember? After all, wizards did fight two wars with them. I'm not saying that Bill doesn't have a point, but how goblins act with wizards and how they act with fae and shifters are two different things."

"But the fae helped," Ginny protested. "How come the goblins aren't upset with you for helping us in those wars? Heck, some of those fae that fought in the wars are probably still alive."

"I'm sure some of them are," Lily acknowledged, "but only one court helped you." The Seelie were the only fae that helped in the war with the goblins. The Seelie and the wildfae have never got on. The goblins didn't blame every court for aiding you, just the Seelie. If Oberon had been part of that court, I might be worried, but since he's not, we should be fine."

"I wish I could come with you," Ginny said looking down at the table.

"Your Father wants you back home before we leave tomorrow morning. We will come see you as soon as we get back."

The rest of the meal was finished in silence. After washing the dishes, they all trooped into the living room and sat down around the fireplace. Harry pointed a finger at the logs and they burst into flame. Lily nodded approvingly at him.

"Very good. At least you didn't set the curtains on fire this time.'

Flushing, Harry looked away. "It was only one time."

Lily smiled teasingly at him. "That one time took months to get the smoke stains off the walls. Took even longer to get the smell of burned cloth out of here."

"Ah," Ginny said. "The curse of having a super sensitive nose."

Harry grimaced. "Tell me about it," he grumbled.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry looked up at the building towering above him. Gringotts was at least five stories high. The entire building was made of a single piece of marble looking like a giant chess piece. There were no windows visible only small slits in the marble just large enough for an arrow to fit through. Marble steps led up to an iron door set into the marble. A single small figure stood in front of the door a long fingered hand wrapped around the haft of an ax.

"How did they even do this? I've never seen a building like this. It looks like it's made of one piece, but that's impossible isn't it?"

Lily arched an eyebrow. "We are magical," she pointed out.

Harry grinned. "Fair point." He nodded at the short figure standing at the top of the steps. "Goblin?"

Lily nodded.

"What kind of welcome can we expect? I mean were the other courts on good terms with the goblins when they left?"

"Hard to say," Lily said thoughtfully. "Other than the Seelie, they tend to judge the fae on an individual basis, so it really depends on what terms Oberon was on. The fact that he left something here for them to guard is a good sign. If he didn't trust them, he would've never left anything of value here."

Harry started walking. "I guess it'd be a good time to see what's in there then, wouldn't it?"

Lily stepped ahead of him. "Stay behind me," she ordered. "I don't want anything happening to you."

Harry rolled his eyes. Before he could say anything, Lily spoke.

"I know you can fight, but these are goblin warriors. Battle is their meat and drink. It's what they live for. "Don't give them any reason to view you as a threat."

Harry stayed quiet as they mounted the steps to the bank. As they approached the door, the goblin looked up at them. Its wide nostrils flared, black eyes widening slightly.

"The exiled queen," it rumbled. "I see you got our message."

Lily bowed politely. Seeing this, Harry was quick to copy her.

"Well met, master goblin," she said touching a closed fist to her forehead in solute. "May the Sun set on the death of your enemies."

The goblin let out a chuckle. "And may not one of yours draw breath at its rise." His grin revealed pointed teeth. "I see Lord Oberon taught you the proper way to greet goblins." He gestured at the doors. "Go on in, Bloodwind is waiting."

Lily bowed again and ushered Harry inside. No sooner had they stepped through the doors than a tall figure approached.

The stranger gazed at them for several seconds, his black eyes lingering on Harry. He brushed long blond hair away from his face and smiled, revealing pointed teeth.

"Hello Ms. Evans," he said. His voice was surprisingly soft and musical.

"Bloodwind I presume," Lily said.

The goblin smiled again. "You presume correctly. Please," he gestured down the long winding hall in front of them. "Follow me."

Lily and Harry followed him down the hall. They stopped before a blank stretch of wall. Bloodwind laid a slim long fingered hand flat against the wall.

There was a cracking sound and the wall split in two. The two halves of the wall sank into the floor revealing a large room beyond.

"Come on in," Bloodwind said with another grin. He led the way into the room. No sooner had they entered the room, than there was a click from behind them. Turning, they saw a door where the wall had been.

"Neat trick, right," Bloodwind said sitting down behind a large desk. He shuffled a stack of papers and gestured at two large armchairs in front of his desk. "Sit," he said.

Lily and Harry sat down and stared around the room. There were framed portraits of elves battling horned demons, Goblins dueling wizards, and oddly enough, there was a picture of a mermaid in a low cut top that left nothing to the imagination. As Harry looked at the picture, the Mermaid winked at him and blew him a kiss.

"You…" Lily cleared her throat. "You aren't what I expected."

Bloodwind shrugged. "I get that a lot."

"You're not like other goblins."

"I get that a lot to." He giggled. The sound was like chiming bells. "Trust me, they don't like that. That's why my office is so hard to get into."

"You're half-elf," Harry said.

Bloodwind nodded easily. "Aye, my Father was an elf or sidhe if you prefer. He had a fling with a goblin and I am the result. Since he was a noble of the Seelie court, my Mother knew better than to expect any type of support in helping raise his half-breed bastard, so she raised me here. When I started developing magic she didn't know how to deal with, she sent a request to Faerie. Surprised her when Oberon showed up in person. He taught me how to use my elven magic and when he needed something left here for his son, I was the obvious choice."

"But you said the other goblins don't like you. You implied that they'd try to kill you if they got in here."

"Oh they would," Bloodwind said. "Truthfully, I only stayed to take care of this business for Oberon. Once that's done, I intend to leave. I'll be safer out in the Wizarding world than I'd be here."

"What exactly did Oberon leave here?" Lily asked leaning forward in anticipation.

"I don't know," Bloodwind said reaching into his cloak. He drew out a large silver key. "He just gave me the key. I can take you to the vault, but I can't tell you what's in there. No goblin can. Oberon built that vault himself. He also designed the wards that protect it. Only this key can open the door and that's the second stage of protection."

"What is the vault number?" Harry asked.

"Vault 777."

"Right then," Lily stood up. "No time like the present. Can you take us to the vault please?"

"Sure," Bloodwind stood and walking over to a wall and tapped it several times seemingly at random. The wall vanished revealing a staircase going down into darkness.

"Stick close," Bloodwind said stepping onto the stairs. Harry and Lily followed. No sooner had their feet touched the steps than the staircase began to move. They descended in a sharp circle as if they were on wheels.

Harry looked around frantically, but saw nothing to hold onto. He looked down, but could see no indication of what may be at the bottom.

"Relax," Bloodwind said. "You can't fall off. You're of Oberon's blood. It'd really suck if you could be killed by something your Father designed wouldn't it?"

"Designed?" Harry blurted. "He made this thing? Why didn't he just use the carts like everyone else?"

"He was afraid that the carts could be tampered with."

The staircase suddenly flattened out and they slid smoothly to a stop. Before them was a large steel door. There was no knob, just a hole where the key was supposed to go.

Bloodwind turned to Harry. "A blood sample is required to unlock this door. Please place your hand flat on the door."

Harry obeyed. A large needle slid out of the door and plunged deep into his palm. Harry winced as blood flowed from the wound and smeared the metal. Bloodwind slid the key into the lock and turned it.

There were several loud clicks and the door swung open. Smoke billowed from the vault. Runes etched along the edges of the doorway flared brightly. When the smoke faded, Harry gazed eagerly at the contents of the vault. He blinked.

"Huh?" he asked confused. "Okay, is this some kind of joke?"

Bloodwind and Lily also stared at the contents of the vault. Bloodwind scratched his head before turning to Lily.

"Was your husband sane when you last saw him?"

Lily nodded. "Yes."

Bloodwind pointed at the large wooden trunk sitting in the exact center of the vault. "I don't understand why he would place so much protection on this vault if this was all it contained."

Several silver locks held the trunk closed. Runes were etched into the lid. Looking closer, Harry noticed that the locks had no keyholes.

"Can we take it with us?"

Bloodwind nodded. "It's yours." He gestured at the trunk and it shrunk to the size of a deck of cards.

Harry entered the vault, picked up the trunk, and slipped it into his pocket. He rejoined Bloodwind and Lily outside the vault. No sooner had he stepped through the door, than there was a deafening grinding sound.

Turning, Harry watched as the vault began to shrink. The doorway grew smaller and smaller, the walls and floor moving closer together to fill in the available space. Within seconds, the vault was gone, leaving a blank stretch of wall before them.

"Come on," Bloodwind said suddenly. "If the vault is gone, it's possible the rest of this place will soon follow." The three hurried back to the staircase and returned to Bloodwinds office.

Stepping into the office, they all turned to watch the wall reappear. Bloodwind shivered suddenly.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Bloodwind said sounding strained. "The wards protecting that vault just fell. My guardianship of that vault is over."

"Yes," a cold voice said from the doorway, "and as your guardianship of the vault has ended, so shall your life."

Turning, the occupants of the office stared at the small goblin standing in the doorway. His silver hair fell to his shoulders and his black eyes seemed to absorb the light as if they'd been formed from darkness itself.

"Griphook," Bloodwind said easily. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to wipe your stain from our nation. For years you have pretended to be one of us, and yet you have no honor as a goblin. You do not like war and battle. You take no pleasure in the death of our enemies. You, Bloodwind, are no goblin. You are a coward."

"Have I ever refused to fight for our people? Have I ever run from a fight? It is true that I take no pleasure in our enemy's deaths, but have I ever spared those that needed killing? How then can you say I am a coward? It is true that I do not like violence, but isn't there an old proverb that says those that live by the sword shall die by the sword?"

"We are not elves or humans," Griphook hissed.

"No, but I am half-elf. I am not saying that our wars haven't been necessary because they have. We have fought for our rights and we continue to do so. We must if we want to keep the things we treasure the most, but I will not take pleasure in killing. It is necessary, but not something to enjoy. If the creator takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, why should I?"

"You are weak," Griphook hissed.

"Let me pass,' Bloodwind said calmly. "My job of guarding the vault is done."

"And if I don't?" Griphook said with a sneer. He raised an ax. "If I choose to remove your head from your body?"

"Then you will die," Harry said. "We will defend him."

"This is not your fight, boy. Leave now before you get hurt."

Fire danced around Harry's fingertips. "You are acting like a bully simply because Bloodwind does not fit with your society. Sometimes, what the majority believes is right really turns out to be wrong. You are treating him like an outcast because he does not agree with you. I cannot stand idly by and watch you kill an innocent man."

Bloodwind placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Stand down, young prince. I do not need you to fight my battles for me." He turned to Griphook. "Last chance, Griphook. Step aside and let me pass. If you do not, then I will have to move you."

Griphook grinned revealing his pointed teeth. "Come and try, half-breed."

Bloodwind let out a slow breath. He glanced at Harry and Lily. "Now you shall see why my Mother named me Bloodwind."

He gestured sharply, pointing his hand at Griphook. An icy wind sprang up around the goblin. The wind began spinning around him faster and faster. Griphook struggled against the wind, but could not move even a step. The fair skin they could see was turning red from the cold. Griphook raised his ax, but the wind seemed to have a mind of its own. It jerked the ax from his hand and sent it sailing through the air to clatter to the floor on the other side of the room.

"Last chance," Bloodwind called having to shout to be heard over the wind. "I shall not tell you again."

Griphook's only response was an inarticulate snarl.

Bloodwind sighed. "I did warn you." He jerked his hand towards himself. The wind compressed on itself before spinning away from Griphook. There was an awful ripping sound. Blood and chunks of meat splattered the walls and ceiling.

The wind suddenly died. There were several wet splats as chunks of bloody meat fell to the floor. Griphook's bloody skeleton stood upright for several seconds, his mouth open in a soundless scream. In slow motion, the skeleton fell backwards, landing on the floor with a soft clatter.

XXX

Bloodwind leapt off the marble steps landing nimbly on his feet. Harry and Lily hurried down the steps to join him.

"Will they come after you?" Harry asked.

"No, they may hate me, but Griphook challenged me. I had every right to defend myself by goblin law."

"What will you do now?" Lily asked.

Bloodwind chuckled. "I think I'm going to open a bar for outcasts. Danu knows the Wizarding world has enough of those." He looked at Lily and Harry seriously. "If the two of you need anything come and find me."

Lily leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Bloodwind bowed to her. Wind sprang up around him. When the wind died, he was gone.

"Now what?" Harry asked.

"Well," a sneering voice said from behind them. "If it isn't Evans and her Bastard."

Lily and Harry both turned. Their eyes widened when they saw who had spoken.

"Lucius," Lily said. "You're looking very… yourself. I didn't think you had the courage to insult my son and I out in public. It must have taken Gryffindor levels of courage to do it without a mask."

Lucius Malfoy's pale lips turned up. "Life seems to be treating you fairly well," Lucius said coolly. "How's your half-breed there. I'll be surprised if they allow him to own a wand."

"I was surprised when you stayed out of prison," Lily said in the same cool tone. "But then again, I guess money talks."

Lucius smirked. "It does indeed to those that know how to listen. I wasn't even tried for the crimes I committed under Voldemort's imperious curse."

Lily clenched her fists. "What do you want?"

"Merely to ask how it feels to be raising a Bastard in the Wizarding world. You know they can't inherit anything, right?"

Lily stepped closer to Harry. "My husband is dead. You've seen the pictures of Oberon. Harry has his hair and his ears."

"Oh he definitely has fae blood. I am curious though. How do we know you were married to the king of Elphame? How do we know that you weren't just a little nudge in the night? You know just a little something to warm his bed? From what I here, it has been centuries since an elf and a witch had a child together. We only have your word that he was your husband and there is no way we can prove your claim is there?"

"I don't have to prove anything to you Malfoy," Lily growled her eyes turning amber.

"No, but life will be so much harder with all these doubts hanging over your poor child's head won't it?"

Harry gestured sharply. Malfoy was lifted into the air and flew the length of the alley. He crashed into a wall hard enough to crack the brick and slid down to the ground, leaving a bloody trail behind him.

"Leave my Mother alone," he snarled.

"Harry Evans," a voice said from behind him. "I am afraid you are going to have to come with me."

Turning, Harry saw James Potter standing there. His wand was out and pointed at Harry's chest.

"Lower your wand, James," Lily said quietly. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't stop pointing your wand at my son I'll rip your arm off."

"I don't like doing this," James said stoically, "but he just assaulted Lucius Malfoy."

"Lucius Malfoy couldn't keep his mouth shut," Bloodwind said appearing beside Lily. "If he couldn't handle the magic he shouldn't have entered the arena. That's got to be embarrassing for him. He was taken down by a boy who hasn't even started Hogwarts yet."

James jumped at sight of the goblin/elf hybrid. For just a second, his wand dropped. Bloodwind's hand flicked out plucking the wand from James's fingers. He tucked the wand into the pocket of his cloak and grinned nastily at James.

"That's the trouble with wizards. You rely on your wands. Most of you are totally helpless without them. I can feel your magic James Potter. While you are able to perform some minor spells; you do not have the power to fight with wandless magic. Go, return to your wife and children. Don't make me embarrass you in front of all these people."

James's face flushed at Bloodwind's dismissive tone. "You can't," he said through gritted teeth. If you attacked me, it could spark an international incident."

"So could pointing your wand at a child. Don't forget, the wizards are still under the rule of the queen. How do you think she'd react to knowing that you were going to arrest a child for defending himself?"

"He threw Malfoy across the alley," James snapped.

"Accidental magic," Lily said.

James opened and closed his mouth several times. "That wasn't accidental," he sputtered. "That was controlled and you know it."

"Can you prove it?" Bloodwind said calmly. "You know how children are. Malfoy insulted Harry's Mother. That is enough to make anyone angry."

James paused. "I see your point," he said finally. "I overreacted. I apologize." He held out his hand. "May I have my wand back?"

"I want an oath that you will not try to attack me, Harry, or Lily. I know you can do that much without a wand."

James held up his right hand. "I, James Charles Potter, swear that I will not try and harm you, Harry, or Lily for the events that took place here today."

There was a flash of light. When it faded, Bloodwind handed James his wand back. Without a word, James turned and strode away.

Lily turned to Bloodwind. "I thought you'd left."

Bloodwind looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. "I saw Malfoy approaching, and I decided to stay and see what happened."

Lily smiled. "Thanks."

Bloodwind nodded to her. "I'm really leaving this time."

"I think Harry and I are just going to head home. We've had enough excitement today."

"Probably a good idea," Bloodwind said.

Lily placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. With a soft pop, she and Harry vanished. Bloodwind watched them go.

"Something's fishy," he muttered. "I need to keep an eye on things, just in case." In a rustle of air, he was gone.

XXX

"What do you mean you let him go?" Bagnold shouted at James. "I told you to bring the boy to me at all costs."

James glared at her. "And I shouldn't have gone along with that order, minister or not. You wanted me to bring in a kid and why, because his Daddy closed the gates to Elphame. Do you realize how messed up that is? What were you going to do once you had him?"

"You are an auror," Bagnold bellowed. "I am still minister at least for a few more months. I want that boy brought in or you can kiss your job good-bye. Have you forgotten that we need the fae? Breeding with them is the only way our race has survived. It was only their magic that revitalized Wizarding bloodlines."

"We have one advantage the elves do not," James said as if speaking to someone that was a little slow. "We can breed with muggles. When the fae tried that, it usually results in humans with a few magical gifts and they tend not to last that long. Remember, they usually develop some kind of cancer before they hit their twenties."

"What's your point?" Bagnold snapped. "Are you trying to give me a biology lesson?"

"My point is that Oberon would not have closed the gates unless he had to. He wanted to protect his son. You don't have children minister, so you don't understand. Given the choice, I would've done the same thing to protect my wife and sons. If you want to fire me, go ahead, but I'm not making the same mistake twice. I'm not going to arrest an innocent child on trumped up charges."

Bagnold glared at him for several moments. "As usual you do not see the big picture, Potter. It takes generations to repair the damage to pure-blood lines breeding with muggles. All we need is one fae child in exchange for our squib child and the damage is fixed. Since you refuse to follow my orders, consider yourself on probation until my successor arrives. I cannot have a disobedient auror working for me. At the same time, you are a fantastic auror and we can't afford to lose you. I'll let my replacement figure out what to do with you. You are dismissed."

James bowed to her and stormed from the office. Bagnold watched him go. She was scowling so hard her forehead hurt. Something needed to be done. She needed to make sure her successor knew what was going on. The Wizarding world would survive. If she had to kill that stupid brat herself, then so be it.

XXX

Aeval and Voldemort watched the minister in her office. Waving her hand, Aeval caused the mist to fade. "Interesting," she murmured.

"Are you causing her to act that way?" Voldemort asked curiously.

"No," Aeval said smiling slightly. "With the gates closed, my powers are severely limited."

"And yet you've found a way to get me a body," Voldemort mused.

Aeval gestured at the mist. A crude gateway formed in the air before them. "Your helper is waiting for you. I shall recall you at the end of the year or at such time that your body is destroyed. You know why we need that artifact?"

Voldemort nodded. "You think we can use it to break Oberon's spell."

Aeval glared. "I don't think I know we can use it to break Oberon's spell. Had I know of it before now, I would've retrieved it before Oberon cast that spell. Now go, and do not fail me."

Voldemort nodded and flew through the gateway. As soon as he was through, the gate slammed shut and vanished. Aeval wiped sweat off her forehead with one shaking hand. She really hoped this worked. She didn't know if she would be able to open a gateway again.

XXX

Quirinus Quirrell moved quietly through the forest. He jumped as an owl gave a particularly loud hoot. He strained his eyes, trying to see into the darkness. This was where Voldemort was supposedly located. He had to find him. He needed the knowledge of the powerful sorcerer.

All his life, Quirrell had been made fun of. No one had ever respected him, but Voldemort would change that. Voldemort would help him obtain the respect he so rightly deserved. All he had to do was find him and everything would change. That was why he'd come to Albania. According to everything he'd been able to learn, Voldemort was supposedly hiding in this forest.

Quirrell took a deep breath of the night air. The smells of various trees and plant life filled his nose. He felt so alive. He'd never been the type to spend a lot of time outdoors, but for whatever reason, this forest was invigorating. He felt full of energy ready to take on the world.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped at least twenty degrees. Goosebumps formed on his skin. His breath steamed on the air. He froze. It was midsummer. What was going on? Looking around, Quirrell noticed ice crystals forming on the branches of the trees. He gulped and took a step back. Something was terribly wrong here. Trembling slightly, he drew his wand. "H-hello," he choked. "I-is anyone there?"

A rattling breath came from right behind him. Spinning around, Quirrell froze at the sight of the creature in front of him.

It was at least seven feet tall and covered from head to foot in a long black cloak. A slimy skeletal hand emerged from the cloak. It looked wet, rotting, and appeared to glisten in the light of the full moon.

"Dementor," he croaked. Another rotting hand emerged from the figures cloak. Quirrell stumbled backwards and tripped over his feet. He landed flat on his back with a grunt.

A shadow loomed over him, blotting out the moonlight. The rotting hands gripped his shoulders. Quirrell struggled to free himself, but to no avail. He watched in horror as the creature pushed back its hood.

The face the hood had hidden was horrible. The eyes were two scabbed over holes. It had no nose. Only a wide black hole where the mouth should be. Quirrell opened his mouth to scream.

The creature lowered its mouth and clamped it over Quirrell's muffling his cries. His struggles were now frantic, arms and legs flailing. His entire body stiffened, back arching, then his body relaxed. His arms and legs flopped lifelessly. The creature straightened up and let out a sigh before turning and vanishing into the darkness.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort looked down at the young man sprawled on the ground. This was it? This was Aeval's brilliant idea? How had she even managed to convince a dementor to help anyway?

He drifted closer, hovering over the man's slack mouth. Who was this man? Why had Aeval chosen him? He could tell by the robes he wore that he was a wizard. By his voice, he determined he was from Britain, but that was all he knew for sure.

Before he could attempt to slip into the body, he felt himself being yanked backwards.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort blinked. He was in a sunny meadow. He could hear the twittering of birds above him. A stream bubbled over rocks not far away. Turning in a circle, he saw Oberon sitting on a tree stump.

"You again?" he snapped. "What do you want?"

Oberon dropped the stick he was whittling on and tucked the silver knife back in his cloak. "Just to talk," he gestured to another stump across from him. "Sit, we have time."

Scowling, Voldemort sat down. "You know Aeval is aware of our little chats don't you?"

"I'd be disappointed if she wasn't," Oberon said with a shrug. "You are aware of the gift you are being given comes with a price, aren't you? If you betray her, she will hunt you down and kill you slowly and painfully."

"And that's exactly what you want me to do isn't it? Why? Why do you care so much?"

"You are being given a second chance. Don't waste it."

"It's too late,' Voldemort said. "I've gone too far and done too much to turn back now. Besides, I've given my word. I may not have much honor or morals left, but when I give my word, I am honor bound to carry it out to the best of my ability. I will do what I must to save the Wizarding world from the muggles."

"What will it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul? There is still time, Tom. You can still turn from this path. Please, don't attempt to kill my son. Use this chance you've been given to help people, not kill them."

"It's too late for that," Voldemort said softly. "I'll do what I have to. Look, Oberon, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but you can't save me. I don't want to be saved. I'm perfectly willing to damn myself if it means saving the Wizarding world from the muggles."

Oberon looked at Voldemort sadly. "One day you will regret those words."

"Maybe, but that day is not today. I know you can't hold me here, so send me back. I have work to do."

Oberon said nothing, but Voldemort found himself flying through the air.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort sat up and yawned widely. He felt warmth suffuse his entire body. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Standing, he looked down at his new body. It was far younger than his old one. Closing his eyes, he assessed his magic levels.

He didn't have near the power he'd once had, but he hoped that would change. He rubbed his forehead. Information was flooding his mind. Thoughts and memories that didn't belong to him flashed before his eyes.

With an effort, he pushed the thoughts away to examine later. He smiled to himself. It appeared he was going to teach Defense against the dark arts after all. Turning on one foot, he vanished with a deafening crack.

A/N Here is a long chapter since I haven't posted in a few weeks.

I'll post the next one the week after Christmas. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six**_

Voldemort stood near the window, basking in the sunlight. It'd been so long since he'd been able to feel anything. The warmth of the sun on his skin was exquisite. He let his head fall back, eyes closing in pleasure. In the distance, he could hear the chirping of birds and the bubbling sound of the black lake.

His senses had not been this sharp before. Everything seemed tuned to a higher pitch. He felt alive and so full of energy he could take on the world. How could he have ever thought living as a spirit was preferable to this? Turning to a mirror, he gazed at his young face. He looked as his dark hair and eyes. It wasn't near as handsome as his old face, but it wasn't like he'd cared about his looks anyway. Aeval's voice in his head brought him out of his thoughts.

"Are you done reveling in your new body yet?"

Voldemort scowled at his reflection. He watched his pale face twitch in the mirror. It was going to take some getting used to seeing that face reflected back at him. He spoke to his reflection. "Have you ever been without a body?"

His eyes widened as the reflection in the mirror shifted. Within seconds, the face of Aeval stared at him out of the mirror. When she spoke, the lips of the reflection moved, but he heard her voice in his head.

"No, but I can imagine how good it must feel to be alive again. Remember, you still have a job to do. Kill the boy, and I'll make sure you are restored to your own body."

Voldemort glared at the queen of Faerie. "I keep my promises."

"Good, remember you also promised to bring me the philosophers stone."

"Yes, but that is going to be difficult. Nicholas is not going to let it out of his sight, not after the price he paid to create it."

Aeval's blue eyes gleamed. "Imagine how dear Parenelle would feel if she knew what he did to finish his greatest creation. Think of the chaos you could create with just one little letter."

Voldemort grimaced. Aeval loved chaos and pain a little too much for his liking. True, he had killed and tortured, but he took no pleasure in it. Aeval on the other hand loved causing humans pain and misery, like their race didn't have enough to deal with as it was. Something moved in the shadows of the room behind him. He didn't dare to turn his head. He had to wrap this up. If Aeval noticed that movement, it could mean trouble. True, she couldn't directly interfere with mortal affairs, but he had no doubt she had agents watching him.

"I'll need to give them a reason to move the stone, but we'll have to make sure it is the real one. I imagine this isn't the first time someone tried to steal it."

"Actually, our attempt will be the seventh," Aeval said smugly. Her expression turned hard. She stared at Voldemort, her pointed teeth bared. "And ours better be successful."

"I'll do what I can, but I must be careful. We can't afford for Dumbledore to know Quirrell is really me."

"Keep me posted," Aeval said. Her image slowly faded from the mirror leaving Voldemort staring at his own reflection. What had he gotten himself into? He turned around and looked at Oberon's ghost floating in the air behind him.

"I was unaware that you could enter the material world."

"I didn't know I could either, but you don't know until you try. I'm still bound to the world between worlds, but I can make trips here for short visits."

"And you are still trying to talk me into betraying your ex-wife, aren't you?"

Oberon shrugged. "I don't think there is any point in that. You will do what you will do and nothing I say is going to stop you. I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Voldemort said raising an eyebrow. "What sort of deal?"

"I can help you get Nicholas to move the philosopher's stone, but in return, I want you to leave Harry alone. No harm must come to him."

"You offer very little," Voldemort said dismissively.

"Think about it," Oberon said earnestly. "If I can get Nicholas to move the stone, it will be time and resources you do not have to expend doing so. Instead, you can gather your strength and prepare to breach the defenses Dumbledore will no doubt use to guard it."

"Your offer is tempting, but I have given my word to Aeval. Lord Oberon, I have sacrificed any purity and honor I may have once had in my quest to protect the wizards. I don't have many morals left. My word is the only thing of value I have. What you ask is a violation of who I am. I am sorry your son must die. I truly am, but it has to be done. Rest assured that his death will not be in vain. It will aid in my return and prevent the slaughter of the Wizarding race."

Oberon stared at him. "Perhaps there is some good left in you after all," he said quietly. "Remember Tom Riddle, while you are alive, it is never too late to change." Before Voldemort could respond, Oberon had vanished.

Turning, he stared out the window. "It is too late for me,' he whispered running a hand down his smooth cheek. "There can be no redemption or forgiveness for the things I've done."

 _ **XXX**_

"I don't see why I have to go," Ginny grumbled. "I won't be starting Hogwarts for another year. Can't I just stay and learn magic. Harry and I still have so much to practice."

"Like snogging," Fred said waggling his eyebrows. "Come Gin-Gin, we know that's what you really want to do. You don't want to practice magic at all."

"Shut up," Ginny snapped feeling her face heat up.

The floo flared behind them and Harry tumbled out. "I hate floo travel," he grumbled climbing to his feet."

Fred grinned. "Talk of the devil."

"Did you miss me Fred?" Harry quipped.

"Nope," George interrupted, "but Gin-Gin did."

"Shut up," Ginny said again.

"Enough," Molly snapped. "Hello Harry dear. How are you this morning? Do you have your money for school supplies?"

Harry nodded. "Yes Mrs. Weasley, I've got it here," he tapped his pocket. As he did, Ron, Ginny's youngest brother scowled at him.

"Must be nice to have enough to buy new stuff," he said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Enough Ron!" Molly shouted. "Right then, now that everyone is here, let's go."

As they all lined up at the fireplace, Harry allowed his mind to drift to the youngest Weasley brother.

He'd always gotten along fairly well with most of Ginny's brothers, but Ron was an enigma. He could be funny and playful sometimes, but he was easily angered and had a jealous streak that caused him to resent anyone that did better than him at anything. Harry knew that this was due to low self-esteem, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

For this reason, Harry had never been very close to him. He never actively avoided him and he would play games of quidditch or Wizards chess with him, but he never went out of his way to befriend him. He was brought out of his thoughts by a touch on his shoulder.

"Your turn Harry," Ginny said holding out the pot of Floo powder.

"Oh joy," Harry grumbled causing Ginny to giggle.

Harry took a pinch of the powder and threw it into the fire. As the flames turned emerald green, he stepped into the fire. The flames felt like a warm breath on his skin. "Diagon Alley," He called.

His stomach dropped as he began to spin. With a whoosh, he vanished from the Weasley's living room.

 _ **XXX**_

A strong hand grabbed Harry's shoulder preventing him from falling flat on his face.

"Careful," said Tom the bartender of the leaky cauldron with a toothless grin. "Floo travel isn't your cup of tea is it, Mr. Evans."

Harry smiled shyly. "Thanks Tom."

Tom nodded before going back to his bar. Harry stepped aside just in time to see Ginny come shooting out of the flames. She grinned at him, wiping soot off her dress.

"Tom catch you again?"

Harry blushed.

Ginny giggled. "It's amazing that someone that is so shore-footed they can walk through snow without leaving a print can't help but fall flat on his face when traveling by floo."

Before Harry could answer, Molly came bustling up to them. "Ginny, good you're here. Come on, Gringotts is our first stop."

Harry and Ginny followed her out the back door of the small pub and approached a seemingly blank brick wall. "Stand back," Molly warned

Approaching the wall, she tapped a certain number of bricks with her wand. The brick wall flowed like water shifting into an iron arch that towered above them.

 **'Diagon Alley,'** had been etched into the metal. Harry followed the others onto the cobblestone streets beyond the arch. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the arch melt back into a brick wall.

"I wonder if it's really a brick wall or some kind of glamour,' he said quietly.

Ginny looked back at the wall as they walked down the street. "I bet it's really a wall and is transfigured into the archway to Diagon alley. If it was a glamour, you'd be able to fall through it wouldn't you?"

"Good point," Harry said. He looked up as they approached the steps of Gringots. The goblin guarding the doors was glaring out at the crowd, a slight sneer twisting up the corners of his pale lips. Was it just his imagination, or had the goblin's hand tightened on his ax just slightly?

He turned to Mrs. Weasley. "I think I'll wait out here. You know we don't keep our money in Gringots, so there's no reason for me to go inside."

Mrs. Weasley frowned slightly before catching the eye of the goblin guarding the doors.

"That might be for the best, dear."

Ginny looked at her Mother. "I'll wait out here with him."

"Of course you will," Fred said grinning at the two while puckering his lips.

"That's enough Fred," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

Fred looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Sorry Mum."

Mrs. Weasley turned back to Harry and Ginny. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

Harry and Ginny watched as the others mounted the steps to Gringots. The goblin stepped aside so they could enter the bank. Once the doors had closed, Ginny turned to Harry.

"Do you think the goblins will ever forgive you?"

"Maybe eventually," Harry said with a shrug. "It's just a good thing we don't keep anything in Gringots."

"Has your Mother said anything else about you going to Hogwarts?"

"I have elemental magics,' Harry said. "I can also perform some minor glamour."

"That's impressive for an eleven year old."

"Yeah, but I'm not human. I have no idea how I compare to other elves or shifters in regards to magical skill. Mum still had her old wand, but I haven't had any luck at all focusing magic through it. Without the ability to use a wand, I see no way I can go to Hogwarts."

Before Ginny could respond, a high pitched voice spoke from behind them."

"Well if it isn't the half-breed."

Harry turned to see a pudgy boy standing behind them. His brown hair was slicked fast to his head and his blue eyes stared at Harry with disgust. Seeing that he had their full attention, he continued.

"How does it feel knowing that you are the cause of the breaking of the treaty between the wizards and the fae?"

"The treaty is not broken, Longbottom."

"It is kind of hard to enforce a treaty when some of the participants are locked in their own realm."

"I had nothing to do with that," Harry said calmly. This boy was trying to force him to react to his words. If he acted, that would imply that his words had some sort of truth to them. He had to stay calm.

"What do you want Longbottom," Harry said icily.

"Show the defeater of Voldemort some respect," Neville snapped.

"If anyone defeated Voldemort, it was your Father. Your prancing around taking credit for his sacrifice is a dishonor to his memory."

Neville's fists clenched. "You leave my Father out of this."

"Why? You brought mine up. Why shouldn't I talk about yours? My Father died to protect me same as yours did. We should be honoring their sacrifice and the sacrifice of all those that died in the war, not prancing around like peacocks."

Neville scowled. "The difference is that mine died to stop Voldemort. Yours died to lock all the fae away."

Harry took a step forward. "My Father did what he had to do to insure mine and my Mothers safety."

"And damned the Wizarding world in the process,' Neville snapped.

A large beefy man stepped up to the arguing boys. "That is quite enough of that," he said with a thick Scottish brogue. He glared at Harry. "How dare you pick on the savior of the Wizarding world like that?"

Harry bowed his head, keeping his tone as respectful as possible. "I meant no offense sir," he said. "I was merely pointing out that he should honor his Fathers sacrifice instead of taking credit for something he had no control over."

"How would you know he had no control over what happened," a scrawny woman dressed in a torn dress and extremely high heels said from the back of the crowd. "What? Did being part elf give you some sort of wisdom that we mere mortals don't possess? Get out of here and leave the Boy-Who-Lived alone why don't you? You're just a half-breed that doesn't know his place."

"Your people were happy enough to accept the help of even half-fae not so long ago."

"Yeah," the woman said shrilly, "but that was before your Daddy closed all the gates wasn't it? We've all been waiting you see. We've wanted to see what you're really like and now we know. Weren't satisfied with being the reason your own Father died were you? You had to pick on the Boy-Who-Lived about his Father's noble sacrifice."

"It was clear to Harry that he wasn't going to win this argument. He glanced at Ginny and was surprised to see her trembling with barely suppressed rage. Just before the situation could escalate, Harry felt someone gently take hold of his arm.

"Come on," Lily said. "I've let Molly know that you're with me. We'll get your school supplies and get back home."

"Yeah," the scrawny woman howled. "Run back to your Mummy."

Lily glared at the woman. Her jaws lengthened slightly and her eyes turned amber. "That's it. One more word out of you, whore, and I'll rip your diseased head off your shoulders."

The woman stepped back, flushing in anger. "How dare you," she spluttered. "I'm not a whore."

Lily tapped her nose. "My nose says otherwise. I can smell the leavings of other men on your body. What's the matter?" she snarled her voice growing deeper with every word. "It's not so fun when you're not tearing down an eleven year old anymore, is it?" She glared out at the crowd that'd gathered who all suddenly looked a lot less sure of themselves.

"Remember," she said raising her voice so everyone could hear. "The gates are closed now, but they will not remain so. My son will grow up and take back our homeland. I suggest you remember that when you all try to gang up on him like a pack of jackals."

Spinning away, she gently guided Harry and Ginny down the alley away from the crowd.

 _ **XXX**_

As they went from shop to shop, Harry couldn't help but notice the glares of the shopkeepers. It was clear they'd heard what'd happened on the steps of Gringots.

Exiting Flourish and blots, Harry turned to his Mother. "I'm not so sure I should start Hogwarts this year."

Lily glanced at him, but said nothing.

"It's clear that I will have no friends at Hogwarts. If I'm going to try and acclimate myself to Wizarding society, I'd rather have someone I can trust guiding me." He glanced at Ginny. "I need someone I can trust guarding my back just in case someone tries to stick a knife in it."

Lily looked down at the books he was carrying. "That's why I didn't let you pick up a Defense against the dark arts book. I thought you might want to wait and start with Ginny. We'll talk to Dumbledore and see what he says. I don't think he'll disagree. After all, you'll just be starting a little later. I'll use that time to extend your knowledge of elven magic."

"I thought most fae magic consisted of Elemental and light or shadow manipulation?"

"It does, but there are branches I haven't shown you yet." Lily said with a mysterious smile. "Now come on, we need to try and get you a wand."

 _ **XXX**_

Ollivander scratched his head, a perplexed expression on his face. "I just don't understand it," he said almost plaintively. "I've never failed to find a wand for a wizard." He glared at the towering stack of boxes as if they'd insulted his Mother.

Lily patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright, Ollivander," she said soothingly. "I didn't think you'd be able to find him a wand. He has elven blood after all and elves don't carry wands."

Ollivander sighed before turning to Ginny. "Alright then, you next my dear?"

Ginny opened her mouth to say she wasn't starting Hogwarts for another year, but Lily spoke before she could.

"Yes, I think that is appropriate."

Ollivander gave Ginny a piercing look, his silvery eyes seeming to gaze into her very soul. He strode purposefully to the back of his shop and lifted a long dusty box from a high shelf.

"Most complicated wand I ever made," he said returning to the front of the shop. "For the seventh child and the only daughter born to the Weasley clan for generations, it is only proper we begin with the most unique wand I have."

He lifted the lid of the box revealing a wand at least a foot long. The wood was bone white with sigils and runes carved along its length. The handle of the wand had been carved into the shape of a lion's head. Ollivander gently lifted the wand from the box. "Yew, fourteen inches with the heartstring of a griffin as its core."

Seeing Lily's look of outrage, Ollivander grinned, revealing blindingly white teeth. "The griffin had just died. I didn't kill it. I just harvested what I thought would be good for wand material. A few hairs, some feathers, the claws, and the heartstring."

Ginny lifted the wand out of the box. She felt the warmth travel up her arm almost immediately. Hesitantly, she gave the wand an experimental flick. A shower of red and gold sparks flew from the tip. Ollivander clapped excitedly.

"Well done Ms. Weasley, well done indeed." He took the wand from her and laid it back in its box. He turned to Lily. "That'll be fourteen galleons."

Lily nodded and handed over the money. Ollivander gave Harry and Ginny a calculating look. "I expect great things from you to. The most powerful witch I have seen in generations and the prince of the fae." He smiled his silvery eyes twinkling. "I can't wait to see what you two do."

 _ **XXX**_

Dumbledore shifted papers on his desk, frowning deeply. "I don't know that it is a good idea for Harry to wait a year. He must learn to face adversity and what better time than when there are people around that can stop things if they get out of hand."

"The staff can't be everywhere," Lily said harshly. "I intend to make sure he is able to defend himself."

"They are school children," Dumbledore said holding up a placating hand. "They will not be able to do any harm."

Lily snorted. "Have you forgotten that we are in a school with a moving staircase? One spell while the staircase is moving and a student could be crushed between floors."

Dumbledore winced at the image, but before he could respond, Lily continued.

"Look Albus, I am not asking for your approval. I am merely asking if Harry can start next year."

Dumbledore took off his half-moon glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't agree with your decision, but I will acquiesce. Why don't you bring Harry and Ginny for the Halloween feast and the end of year feast? We can see how the students react to Harry and do what we can to prepare them for his arrival. You said you would be homeschooling them correct?"

Lily nodded.

"Then why don't they take the end of year exams. If they don't pass, they can start in the first year. If they do then they will start in the second year." He smiled charmingly. "You always did enjoy teaching others when you were here. This will put those skills to the test."

"Agreed," Lily said smiling. "I guess I'll see you at Halloween."

Dumbledore stood and escorted her to the door. "I'll see you then."

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort slipped through the narrow passage. His heart was pounding. If he was caught, his death would be quick and then he'd be right back where he started. He saw the vault door straight up a head. Concentrating, he activated his magesight.

The magesight was an ability that allowed him to see magic, specifically wards. His magesight was weaker than it'd been in his original body. Everything was blurred, but his sight was clear enough to show him the layer upon layer of protections covering the vault. He had to be very careful. He wasn't about to try and steal the stone from the vault, not with his current level of power. He just needed to trigger the wards. Withdrawing his wand from his cloak, he pointed it at the vault door.

"Reducto," he whispered.

The bolt of red light struck the door and rebounded. Voldemort ducked causing the light to fly over his head. At the same time, he felt a drain on his magic. He stumbled, reaching out a hand to keep from falling.

Alarms suddenly began blaring all around him. He froze. That spell should not have triggered those alarms. Turning, he made a mad dash for the exit. He had to get out of here before the goblins found him.

 _ **XXX**_

"Will you do it," Nicholas said. He leaned forward his round belly bulging against the buttons of his robes. "We need the stone protected Albus," he said earnestly. "This is the third time someone has tried to steal it from Gringots. It is clear the goblins cannot be trusted to guard it."

"Alright," Dumbledore said. "I'll do what I can, but I must have time to prepare the protections."

"Thank you Albus," Nicholas said gratefully. Standing, he offered Dumbledore a pudgy hand to shake before turning towards the door. Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"What about you and Paranelle? How will you get the elixir if you do not have the stone?"

Nicholas glanced over his shoulder. "We have enough stored up for a little over a year. Hopefully, this mess will be sorted by then. If not, I'll have to risk taking the stone out of whatever protections you have so we can brew more."

XXX

"I think it's a fantastic idea," Arthur said enthusiastically. "I assume you will be teaching her Wizarding magic?"

"I'm also going to try and teach her elven magic. It may give her a leg up on her exam."

"Don't you think you should've asked our permission before buying her a wand and offering to homeschool her?" Molly said with a glare.

"You haven't had a problem up to this point," Lily said stiffly. "Why would this be any different? I've been teaching her wandless magic and she's soaking it up like a sponge. Passing the first year exams is really just a formality. She and Harry can already perform most of the first year spells without a wand."

Molly stared at Lily silently fuming. She felt as if the younger woman was trying to steal her daughter. Didn't she understand that the wife's place was at the home? What use was wandless magic if Ginny was going to be a homemaker?

Arthur placed a hand on his wife's arm. "It's alright love," he said quietly. "She'll do fine."

Molly didn't respond. Something was going to happen. She just knew it.

 _ **XXX**_

On the first of September, Ginny met Harry and Lily at their cottage bright and early. "That's the good thing about not starting this year,' she said happily. "We can get started learning now.'

Lily smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Right then," she said lifting some heavy books onto the table in front of them. She turned to Harry.

"I noticed that you can change the shape of an object, but not its composition. For example, you were able to change an ink bottle into a dragon shape, but it was still glass. Ginny, on the other hand, was able to change a quill into a spider. We are going to begin working on elven magic today."

She opened the book revealing pages of runes and sigils. "You will be starting at the beginning," she said pointing to a picture of a match with the eye of a needle at its top. "Wizards use incantations to perform their spells. Elves use runes not that different from Egyptian hieroglyphics. . We will be starting with transfiguration. Since you are just starting, you will need to draw the runes on paper then place the object you want to transfigure on the rune. You will then need to pour power into it to activate it." She stopped to see if Harry had any questions. When he didn't say anything, she continued.

"The next stage is hand runes. That means you will draw the symbols in the air. This has the advantage of not needing paper and pen, but still takes time to cast spells."

Lily pulled a match out of her pocket. She waved her hand through the air, drawing the symbol they saw on the page of the book in front of them. The rune appeared in the air outlined in blue fire. It suddenly pulsed with a blinding blue light. When the light faded, the match had become a needle."

Harry gaped. "Awesome, but it's a bit flashy isn't it?"

"Some magic is," Lily said with a shrug. "The last stage is thought runes. That needs no hand motions, just visualization."

"So if this applies to all forms of magic, how do charms work?" Ginny asked.

In answer, Lily drew a pair of wings. She then drew a needle extending from the pair of wings. Placing her hand flat on the paper, her forehead wrinkled in concentration. The rune glowed and the needle on the table rose into the air. Her eyes widened as the needle sprouted wings and began flying around the room.

"Crap," Lily grumbled. She clicked her fingers and the needle fell to the floor, the wings vanishing.

Ginny grinned. "Neat," she said clapping her hands.

"We'll be starting with transfiguration today," Lily said handing them a match. "Why don't you two give it a try?" She turned to Ginny. "Before you try the elven form of magic, use your wand to change it into a needle. Remember, it's all in the visualization."

Ginny waved her new wand almost negligently. The match shifted shape becoming a needle.

"Good," Lily said. "Now use the rune."

Ginny dipped the tip of her wand into the inkpot and drew the rune on a piece of paper. Placing her hand on the rune she concentrated on powering the rune.

There was a sizzling sound and the paper burst into flames. Ginny jerked her hand back letting out a cry of shock.

Lily gently took her hand and examined it closely. "You were lucky," she said. There are no burns. You need to be precise when drawing the runes. One mistake and they won't work. If you get them wrong when tracing them in the air, they will flicker out. She turned to Harry.

"Now you try."

Harry pointed a finger at the match. The shape of the match shifted, becoming a wooden needle. He groaned.

The material didn't change."

Lily smiled. "That's very good. There were once needles made of wood and even bone, so you are doing fine. Now draw the rune."

Harry picked up a quill and slowly traced the rune from the book. As the quill moved across the paper, he felt the magic flowing out of him. It was as if his magic was guiding him. Once completed, he looked down at the rune. He compared the rune in the book to the rune he'd drawn. He let out a satisfied huff of air.

"Good," Lily said. "Now send magic into the rune."

Harry watched as she placed a new match on the parchment. He moved the match until it was lying atop the rune. Placing a single finger upon the rune, he sent a small thread of power flowing through it.

The rune lit up with a soft blue light. The match seemed to flow like water. When the light faded, a silver needle lay on the paper.

"Very good," Lily said.

"It wasn't as flashy as yours," Harry said.

"I didn't think it would be. Your magic is tuned for this work." She glanced between Ginny and Harry. "I intend to teach you both types of magic. However, I suspect that Ginny will surpass you when it comes to Wizard magic and you will surpass her when it comes to elven magic.

Both types of magic have their advantages. Wizard magic takes less time to cast and is more useful in battle. However, Rune magic is more potent and is permanent unless reversed."

Harry and Ginny nodded. They looked at the huge book in front of them. There had to be at least a thousand pages in there.

"Alright," Lily said stretching. "Let's get back to work. "Harry, I want you to work on transfiguring the match without using the rune. Ginny, I want you to do the opposite."

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort stared out at the sea of faces, his frustration mounting. What was he going to do now? Alright, so he had managed to force Nicholas into moving his blasted stone, but The Evans boy still wasn't here. Could Dumbledore have had the boy sorted in secret? No, that didn't make sense.

The boy was only an elven prince. For all Dumbledore knew, he hadn't found a way to return yet. He would be focusing all his attention on the Longbottom brat. He needed to investigate this matter, but carefully. If his trip to Gringots proved anything it was that he didn't have near the power he was used to. He could not defeat Dumbledore in a straight up fight.

He picked up his fork and began to eat, not even tasting the food on his plate. His mind was whirling with possibilities. A twinge of fear coiled in his gut. For the first time, he entertained the possibility of failing to kill the boy. He had to get the stone if nothing else. Even if he didn't manage to kill the son of Oberon, perhaps bringing Aeval the stone would mollify her.

With a sinking feeling, he realized he was out of options. He had no choice. He was going to have to talk to Dumbledore. He needed to know where the boy was and more importantly, when or if he was going to come to Hogwarts. He just hoped Dumbledore wasn't as observant as he once was.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter SEVEN**_

Harry groaned as the mouse he was using squeaked in pain and scampered across the table, all of the hair having been singed off its body. He lowered his hand and glanced at his Mother. It'd been a month since he would've gone to Hogwarts and he was currently attempting to perform a color change spell without using rune magic.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get the hang of this," he grumbled.

"You need to have a basic knowledge of wizard magic. I know it's harder without a wand, but you'll learn."

"That was supposed to be a color change charm," Harry said exasperatedly. "Now that mouse better hope it's not too cold this winter or it's not going to make it. Heck, it's so ugly now I doubt even a cat would bother eating it. If I can't get a color change charm right, what makes you think I can get the more advanced spells right? I'll probably blow up the house."

Ginny picked up the mouse and set it on the parchment in front of her. The mouse quivered, whether from cold or fear Harry wasn't sure. Ginny placed her hand on the parchment and forced power into the rune.

There was a flash of fire and the parchment and the mouse vanished in a flash of flame. A sprinkling of ash fell to the table. Ginny stared at the ash, horrified.

Lily winced. "I guess it's a good thing that mouse was conjured," she said keeping her voice light and casual.

Ginny brushed the ash off the table. "Yeah," she said shakily. "It probably would've only lasted a few more days anyway."

Lily leaned back in her chair. "I think that's enough practicing the opposite form of magic today. Harry you start working on elven magic. Ginny, use your wand."

The two kids nodded happily and went to work. Lily watched them fondly as they pulled two more mice from a box. As she watched, she reflected on each child's progress.

Ginny was flourishing leaps and bounds. She had been amazing without a wand, able to perform complex transfigurations with a mere gesture. With a wand however, her skill had become ten times greater than it'd been before. After the first few days, Lily had discovered that incantations were merely holding her back. With her wand in hand, she merely needed to point at the object she desired and it changed into something else.

However, while she was a transfiguration prodigy, she had to start at the first year level on Charms and defense. Even though it was more than a little advanced, Lily had begun teaching her nonverbal casting of first year spells. Since she was able to do so with transfiguration, she didn't want her becoming reliant on incantations with the rest of her magic.

To Lily surprise, Harry had already progressed to the second stage in Elven rune magic. He could draw a shield rune in the air with pure light within seconds. Lily had never heard of elves using there light or shadow magic like paper, but it was an ingenious idea.

She watched as Harry traced the outline of a mouse in the air with brown light. With deft movements of his fingers, he surrounded the image of the mouse with tiny flames. Once the circle of flames was complete, he turned the light blue. There was no flash or explosion. The mouse's fur simply turned robin's egg blue. Looking over, Lily saw that Ginny had turned her mouse pea green. She raised an eyebrow.

"Did you do that on purpose?"

Ginny giggled. "I think it looks better this way."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Drop a few dung bombs on it and it'll be something a dog tries to roll in."

Leaning over, Harry drew the image of a tree above Ginny's mouse. At the tip of the tree, he drew a golden sphere of light representing the sun. With a twitch of his fingers, Ginny's mouse grew to the size of a Labrador puppy.

"There," he said smiling at his Mother. "Now the dog won't squish it if he tries to roll in it."

Ginny's eyes gleamed. "Can we find some baby mice and make them that big?"

"NO," Lily said firmly. "What is it with you two and upsetting the natural order? Do you realize how confused those poor mice would be? They wouldn't be able to fit in their houses anymore."

Harry clicked his fingers and the mouse returned to its normal size. "You're right of course, but you have to admit it'd be funny."

Lily sighed and looked up at the clock. "Alright, we've covered potions, transfiguration, and charms. It's almost lunch time. Why don't we get something to eat and we'll pick back up with Defense against the dark arts after lunch."

Harry and Ginny nodded in agreement. "Come on," Lily said standing up. "Let's go." Harry and Ginny followed her into the kitchen.

 _ **XXX**_

In Dumbledore's office, Voldemort tried not to flinch under Dumbledore's piercing gaze.

"Why are you so interested in Harry Evans?" he asked.

"I heard his Mother was a very good student," Voldemort said easily. "I wanted to see if he followed in his Mother's footsteps. Besides, the opportunity to teach the son of Oberon would do nothing but help my career."

Dumbledore frowned. "You are aware that the Wizarding World doesn't think too highly of Harry at the moment are you not?"

Voldemort waved his hand dismissively. "Public opinion is not something to be concerned with Headmaster. It changes as the wind blows. As a politician you must know this."

"Yes," Dumbledore said slowly. "So you are telling me that you want to have Mr. Evans in your class because of the prestige it would bring your career? I would've thought that teaching The-Boy-Who-Lived would have been enough, Quirinus."

Voldemort winced at the mention of that name. He didn't think he'd ever get used to being called Quirinus. It almost made him prefer Tom, almost.

Knowing a rebuke when he heard one, Voldemort spoke carefully. "Headmaster, Longbottom is not the great wizard people portray him to be."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "But he will advance your career. That is what you want isn't it?"

Voldemort was relieved to see the old man's eyes twinkling.

"Headmaster," he said. "I want to be a good teacher. I want to pass on as much knowledge as I can to young minds. Up to this point, I feel that I have not made a large difference in the lives of my students. I want to change that. I want them to remember me as the teacher that did his best to impart knowledge, not the bumbling fool that used to teach a Muggle Studies class a hundred years out of date."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I understand Quirinus. I felt much the same way when I was young." He leaned back in his chair and picked up a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk. Popping the candy into his mouth, he looked at the professor over his half-moon spectacles. "Harry will be here on Halloween. His Mother has decided to home school him this year. If Lily agrees, maybe you can assess his skills at that time."

Voldemort/Quirrell smiled happily. "Thank you Headmaster," he stood. "If you will excuse me, I have a class to prepare for."

Dumbledore watched Quirrell leave his office, a slight smile on his face. It was so good to see teachers taking such an interest in passing on their knowledge.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort entered his quarters and closed the door behind him. He sank into the chair in front of the fire with a groan and leaned back comfortably. He'd never imagined teaching to be so difficult.

The mirror next to him flickered. Aeval's face appeared. "Do you have any news for me?"

"The son of Oberon is not coming to Hogwarts this year."

"What?" Aeval's voice was like the snap of a whip. "What do you mean he's not coming to Hogwarts?"

Voldemort remained calm. "Apparently his Mother decided to homeschool him this year. I don't see why you're surprised. Sure, it's been ten years, but The Evans girl obviously wants to make sure he is prepared for anything before allowing him out into the world."

"Just great," Aeval hissed. "Return to Elphame. There is no point in you continuing your position there if the boy is not going to be there."

Voldemort held up a hand. "I will have one chance this year to kill the boy, but I'll have to be careful. Dumbledore is allowing the boy to come for the Halloween feast. I may be able to finish him off then. I have an old distraction left over from the last war I never got to use. Besides, I still need to retrieve the Philosopher's stone."

Aeval gave Voldemort a piercing look. "Do not fail," she hissed. Without another word, her image faded from the mirror.

 _ **XXX**_

Hermione Granger lay on her bed, trying to muffle her sobs in her pillow. She just wanted a friend. Why did the entire world seem so set against her?

All her life she'd been picked on because of her intelligence. When she found out she was a witch, she had hoped that Hogwarts would be the fresh start she so desperately desired.

Instead, to her bitter disappointment, she'd discovered that the Magical world wasn't that different from the nonmagical world. It was full of racism and bigotry, just like the mundane world. To make matters worse, she had found that she was still picked on because of her intelligence. Only now they brought her parents into the insults.

Hermione rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She hoped some day she could find a friend. She decided she would give it until Halloween. If nothing changed, she would write to her parents and ask to return home.

 _XXX_

Harry, Ginny, and Lily approached the wrought iron gates of Hogwarts. The winged bores adorning the gates appeared to stare at them as they approached.

"Do those do anything?" Ginny asked eyeing the statues nervously.

Lily shrugged. "Not since I've been here. If this was anywhere but Hogwarts, I would assume they were for decoration."

Harry pointed at the tusks protruding from the bores mouths. "Those look like they could do a lot of damage."

Their conversation was interrupted as a tall thin woman approached. Her grey hair was tied up in a severe bun and her green eyes stared at the two children shrewdly. When she turned to Lily, her thin lips turned up in a smile.

"Ms. Evans," she said. "It is good to see you again as always."

"Professor McGonagall," Lily said smiling. "How are you?"

"As well as can be expected," McGonagall said stiffly. She turned to Harry and Ginny. "So these two are the ones, are they?" She eyed Harry's sapphire blue hair and emerald green eyes. "Well, if he does come to Hogwarts, he'll definitely stick out."

"He can use glamour if he needs to," Lily said helpfully.

McGonagall waved her hand. "That is entirely up to him. Now then, we are here to assess their skills in magic. As I have a free period, I shall be testing them in transfiguration first. If you will follow me, we shall head to my classroom."

As Harry entered the castle, he felt the magic surround him. For a second, it was hard to breathe. He forced himself to relax. After a second, the magic receded. He glanced at McGonagall.

"The wards here are strong, but there appear to be worn places in them."

McGonagall looked up sharply. "What do you mean? You aren't telling me you can sense the wards are you?"

"I'm half-elf," Harry said. Elves are fae. As a rule we don't use wands. That means we have to have a greater connection with our magic and we need to be able to sense the magic around us, so we can tap into it if necessary. I can sense your wards. It's like being surrounded by a stone wall, but one that has not been maintained very well. There are cracks and holes in the wards. They're not big yet, but if left unchecked, they will grow over time."

McGonagall was gaping at him. "That's incredible," she said. "I had no idea the fae could sense the wards like that." She turned to Lily.

"Did you know about this?"

"Yes," Lily said. "In addition to the changeling law, the fae used to monitor the wards of Hogwarts to keep the children safe. About three hundred years ago, the Headmaster at the time told them that they didn't need to do that anymore. He said he would make sure that the wards were kept up to date so the fae stopped."

McGonagall let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course that Headmaster obviously didn't tell anyone and we are apparently left with our current situation."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to offend."

McGonagall held up a hand to silence him. "No Mr. Evans, that is quite alright. It is better to know these things before it is too late. Here we are," they approached a door that looked like every other.

Pushing open the door, they entered a classroom lined with desks. McGonagall gestured for Harry and Ginny to take a seat. Once they'd done so, she turned to Lily.

"I assume you will want to stay and see your student's progress?"

"Of course."

McGonagall placed a match on the table in front of Harry and Ginny. "I assume you know what to do with this?"

In answer, Harry's hand began to glow. Extending his index finger, he traced it through the air as if drawing on a piece of paper. McGonagall watched stunned as a rune appeared floating above the match. She noticed that the rune looked like a combination match and needle with the eye of the needle at the top, but the blunt end of a match.

The match shimmered as if surrounded by a heat haze.

McGonagall blinked. Where the match had been there was now a long silver needle. She turned to Ginny, doing her best to hide her surprise. "You next, Ms. Weasley."

Ginny drew her wand and pointed it at the match. The match flowed like water. Within seconds, it'd become a gold needle.

"Gold is a Gryffindor color," Ginny said smugly.

McGonagall's lips twitched. "Indeed," she said. "I must say I am impressed with both of you. She drew two mice from inside her cloak.

"This would be the end of year exam for first year. I want you to change these mice into jewlry boxes. Points will be given as to how detailed the box is." She glanced at Harry.

"I am wondering how you will accomplish this since I am sure you have no rune for this yet."

"The runes are just for visualization," Harry said. Sure, it takes longer, but it helps create more lasting transfigurations in the long run." He turned to Ginny.

"Why don't you go first this time?"

Ginny pointed her wand at the mouse. It seemed to dissolve. For a few seconds, they could see through the mouse. They could see the blood flowing through its veins. They could see its tiny heart beating frantically. Then, it was over. A leather jewlry box sat on the table in front of Ginny.

The leather had four distinct animals stitch into it. McGonagall smiled at the image of a red and gold lion, a green and silver snake, a blue and bronze eagle, and yellow and black badger.

"Very good, Ms. Weasley," she said. "Full marks. If you do this well on the rest of these tests, I see no reason you shouldn't be able to advance to second year."

"Thank you professor," Ginny said quietly.

Harry had already begun moving by the time McGonagall turned to him. He traced the image of a mouse in the air surrounded by a circle of flames. Moving swiftly, he traced another circle connected to the first. Inside that circle, he drew the outline of a box.

McGonagall watched as he traced tiny figures two small to see on the outline of the box. Once he was done, she saw his forehead wrinkle as he poured power into the construct. There was a flash of light. When it faded, the mouse was gone. In its place, sat a wooden box. Tiny stones decorated the lid. Looking closer, McGonagall saw the stones formed the image of a small cottage. She smiled at Harry.

"Not quite as detailed as Ms. Weasleys, but still an excellent transfiguration." She turned to Lily.

"You have done well. I expect great things from both of your students."

 _ **XXX**_

The rest of the morning wasn't near as exciting. Harry and Ginny weren't near as proficient in Herbology. However, Lily had helped them keep up with the first year Curriculum.

"If they pass the final exam I see no reason why they shouldn't advance to second year," Professor Sprout said approvingly.

The last class of the morning was Charms. As they approached the classroom, they saw a bushy haired girl running away from the room. They noticed tears running down her face. Frowning, Harry turned to go after her, but was stopped by Lily.

"Don't, you aren't very familiar with the school. You may get lost. I'll follow her. You two go and see Professor Flitwick."

Harry nodded and entered the classroom. The tiny Professor froze when he saw him.

"Ah," he squeaked. "Half-elf I believe."

"Part goblin," Harry responded.

Flitwick chuckled. "Indeed. I believe you are here to be tested in charms."

Harry nodded. "That is correct."

"Alright," Flitwick said. "Let's begin with a color change charm." He drew two mice from a box on his desk.

Harry pointed a finger at the mouse on the left. Blue light washed over the mouse. When it faded, the mouse had turned the blue of ocean water.

"That is most impressive," Flitwick said. "It is a different way of channeling your magic, but so long as you can complete the work, I see no reason you shouldn't be allowed to attend next year."

Flitwick watched as Ginny completed the same task turning her mouse purple. "Silent casting," Flitwick said. "I've never heard of one so young being proficient in that skill."

"Lily saw no point in teaching me to say the spell aloud. She thought that learning nonverbal spell casting as soon as possible would be most beneficial. She said that verbal spell casting was only a learning tool, that you'd expect us to begin learning nonverbal spell casting by sixth year."

"She was right. We would expect you to begin using nonverbal spell casting in sixth year. Well," he said jumping down off the pile of books he was standing on. "I think it is about time for lunch. Come on, I'll lead you two to the great hall."

 _ **XXX**_

After lunch, Harry and Ginny met with Professor Quirrell.

Quirrell smiled kindly at them. "Since you are in first year, I wouldn't expect you to do more defensively than know how to knock someone away from you. Do either of you know the knockback jinx?"

Ginny nodded. "Flipendo," she said.

"Very good," Quirrell said. He turned to Harry. "Do you know the elven equivalent?"

Harry traced a rune in the air. There was a flash and the table they were sitting behind flew across the room.

"Not bad," Quirrell said clapping his hands. "Now, at the end of the year we will have a practical exam, so make sure you are caught up on your bookwork."

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort watched the two children leave his classroom. He sank into the chair behind his desk feeling exhausted.

So that was the son of Oberon. He was just a boy. How could Aeval expect him to kill a child? He was no threat to anyone. He raised a shaking hand and ran it through his hair.

Out of all the things he had done, he had never killed a child until that night he'd tried to kill the boy when he was a baby. Looking back, he realized how foolish that was. He should've waited until the Longbottom boy was older and killed him when he was certain he was the threat. His own hubris had been his downfall.

His jaw firmed. His hands stopped shaking. He may not like it, but he'd given his word. The boy would die. "It has to be this way," he told himself. "It's for the best. I've already tried to kill a child once. I've already compromised my morals. There's no point in turning back now."

 _ **XXX**_

Lily met with the staff just before the Halloween feast.

"Well," Dumbledore said. "What do you all think?"

"I think they are doing remarkably well," McGonagall said.

"I agree," Flitwick chirped. He turned to Lily. "Teaching Ms. Weasley Nonverbal spell casting was a stroke of genius."

Professor Slughorn spoke up. "They are passable in potions. Not great mind you, but they have brewed perfect potions for first year."

Professor sprout nodded her head. "They are the same in Herbology. I doubt they will be prodigies in the subject, but they have done very well for first years."

Quirrell was the last to speak. "Ginny has done well, but I am concerned with Mr. Evans."

"Oh," Dumbledore said raising an eyebrow.

"His need to draw runes in the air to focus his magic is a handicap. It takes a few seconds that could win or lose a fight. We can speak faster than he can draw."

Dumbledore looked at Lily. "Do you have an answer to this?"

"The runes are just a focus to help him visualize what he wants to happen. If you notice, the runes he draws shows the effect he wants to accomplish. From what I have been able to learn, the runes are connected to light and shadow magic. When the elf is experienced enough, they don't need the runes. They can visualize what they want to happen and it happens."

"How long before he masters Light magic?" Quirrell asked.

"It could be a year or two. This takes greater concentration than drawing the runes."

Dumbledore nodded. "Try and have him learn Light magic as quickly as possible."

Lily nodded. "Of course, Headmaster."

Dumbledore stood. "I think it is time we go to the Great Hall for our delicious feast."

 _ **XXX**_

The Great Hall went silent as Harry and Ginny entered. Every eye turned to stare at them. After a few moments, the students turned back to their meals.

Harry noticed Lily gesturing to them from a small table set up near the Head table.

"Over here you two," she called.

Harry and Ginny made their way over, staring around at the decorations as they came.

Live bats fluttered around the high ceiling. Skeletons wove their way through the great hall, smiling at various students and helping to dish out food. Candles floated around the hall. Each one had been carved into a shape to fit the Holiday. Harry could see a witch, a vampire, a ghoul, and a werewolf.

"What do you think?" Lily asked.

"The werewolf looks more like a Wolfshifter," Harry observed.

"I suppose you have a point," Lily said turning to look at the candle. The candle resembled a creature with a humanoid shape. It had a wolf's head and clawed hands and feet.

"I guess a Wolfshifter looks more intimidating than a werewolf?"

"Did you find the girl?" Harry asked.

Lily shook her head. "I think she went to the girl's bathroom, but I couldn't get her to come out."

Harry frowned. "Did you find out why she was crying?"

"Apparently, she is picked on a lot because of her intelligence.

Harry nodded absently. He wanted to help the girl, but what could he do?

Harry and Ginny enjoyed their first feast at Hogwarts. The meal was just winding down, when Quirrell burst through the doors. His right arm had a gash running from shoulder to wrist. Blood splattered the floor as he limped to the head table.

"Uh Headmaster," he croaked. "There's something in the Dungeons. I don't know what it is, but its claws hurt like hell." So saying, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Harry and Ginny communicated with a look. The girl they'd seen earlier had gone to the girl's bathroom. She wouldn't know about the creature. They had to find her. They glanced at Lily who was talking to the Headmaster and trying to calm the students. Hurriedly, they stood from their seats and rushed out of the hall.

In the hallway, they paused to catch their breath. "How do we find her," Ginny asked.

"Well, it's not perfect, but I have an idea." Harry drew a rune in the air. It took Ginny a moment to realize it was an approximation of a toilet. He then drew a box with a stick figure of a girl inside it around the rune representing the toilet.

"I can think of a bunch of ways this can go wrong," Ginny said. "What part of the book was this in anyway?"

Harry didn't answer. As he completed the rune, he spoke one word. "Hermione."

The runic array hung on the air for a few moments before beginning to float down the hallway. Harry and Ginny followed it until they came to a girl's bathroom.

"Okay," Harry said as the runes faded. "I think I'll stay outside and watch for the creature."

Ginny grabbed his arm and yanked him inside. They made their way to a stall where they could hear sobbing.

Ginny knocked gently on the closed door.

"Go away," came a tear filled voice from the other side.

"I can't do that," Ginny said softly. "Listen, you have to get out of here."

"Why?" the voice asked.

"There's something coming. Professor Quirrell was injured by it."

"Very funny," the girl snapped. "You think I'm going to fall for that? Let me guess, there's a whole bunch of people outside and they'll laugh when I come running out, right?"

"No," Ginny said desperately.

"Okay," Hermione said sarcastically. "If there's really a creature coming what does it look like?"

"Kind of like a twelve foot fur covered bolder with wings," Harry said staring at the doorway.

Ginny spun around and saw a creature out of her worst nightmares. Harry was essentially right. It did look like a twelve foot bolder with wings, but he'd neglected to mention the long arms that swung just below its knees and the three fingered hands ending in foot long talons. It snapped long bony jaws revealing pointed teeth that could pass as daggers.

The creature let out a bellow and took a step forward. The claws on its massive foot gouged tracks in the tiles.

"Harry, what is that thing?"

"I've seen it in books. It's what happens when a low level demon and an earth elemental breed."

The creature roared again. In response, Harry drew Mortality. The sword glowed in the dim light of the bathroom.

Raising the sword, Harry leapt towards the creature. There was a clang and a shower of sparks as the sword struck its shoulder and bounced off. Harry landed nimbly on his feet behind the creature. He ducked as a massive wing came sweeping towards him.

Thrusting one palm out, Harry was just in time to create a shield of light. The impact still knocked him off his feet and sent him flying across the room. He crashed into the wall with a grunt. Looking up, he was just in time to block the creatures descending claw with Mortality. There was another clang and the screech of metal. Harry felt something nick his cheek as it flew past.

Looking down, his stomach dropped. Mortality had been cut neatly in two. Harry dropped the hilt and faced the creature. He was unable to avoid the clawed hand that swatted him into the wall. He felt his right arm break as he struck the stone. He slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

He lay sprawled on the ground, staring up at the creature towering above him. His chest felt as if it were on fire. It felt as if his left side was full of splinters. He had to get up. He had to protect Ginny and Hermione.

He screamed in agony as the creature lifted him off the ground. He could feel the bones in his broken ribs and broken arm grinding together.

The monster's roar sounded like triumphant laughter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pipe shatter against the creature's stony hide. The demon didn't even look around.

The monster lifted him higher and threw him into the air. He soared high, struck the ceiling, and fell to the ground. He tried to move, but white hot agony caused him to scream.

The creature lifted one foot preparing to stomp down and crush the life out of him. Distantly, he could hear Ginny and Hermione screaming.

Time seemed to slow. It felt as if liquid flame were coursing through his veins. He felt a sickening pain as the bones in his ribs and arm knit together. There was a minor stinging sensation as his various cuts vanished. Before he knew it, he was back on his feet and flipping backwards to avoid the demon's foot.

Lifting his hand, he watched as his fingernails lengthened and thickened becoming razor sharp claws.

His entire body itched. His eyes widened as grey fur sprouted on his arms and hands. He opened his mouth to cry out, but only a guttural snarl escaped. He could feel the bones in his head melting and stretching like taffy. His face reshaped, forming the muzzle of a wolf. He stood up, new strength flooding his body.

With a snarl, he launched himself at the demon, expecting his new claws to do no more than scrape across the demons rock-like skin.

Instead, his claws punched deep into the demon's shoulder. The beast let out a howl and swung one massive fist at his head. He leapt back, tearing his claws free with a wet ripping sound.

The demon shrieked again. Smoking black blood flowed from the wound, burning pits in the tiles where it touched.

Harry looked at the demon. There had to be a way to penetrate that hide. His claws could hurt it, but he wasn't big or strong enough to cause any real damage. As the creature roared again, he had an idea.

Reaching out with his mind, he summoned Mortalities broken blade to him. As the dull side of the blade landed in his clawed hand, he jumped at the creature. Flipping in the air, he landed on its back and wrapped his legs around it to keep from being thrown off.

The creature roared. It twisted and thrashed, trying to throw him off. Drawing back his arm, Harry waited until the creature's mouth was wide open in a roar then drove the blade into the roof of its mouth. Opening his jaws wide, he sank his teeth into the base of the creature's skull, feeling bone splinter under his fangs.

The creature's roar choked off. It' let out a gurgling scream and fell flat on its face with a thud that shook the whole room.

Harry leapt off the demon's back and walked over to Ginny and Hermione, both of whom were staring at him with wide eyes. As he walked, he could feel his muscles shrinking. The fur in claws melted away. By the time he reached them, he was normal again.

"Are you two okay?" He croaked.

Ginny stepped closer. "Harry?" she asked tentatively. "We are fine. Are you okay?"

Harry stumbled back a few steps. "Peachy," he said before everything went black.

 _ **XXX**_

When Harry opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his Mother's face. He coughed. His throat felt as if someone had scoured it with sandpaper. Lily put a cup of water to his lips. Harry drank thirstily.

Lily smiled at him. "You did good. Hermione and Ginny are safe because of you."

"That's good," he said his voice was barely there. It was all he could do to manage a whisper. "Mum, what happened to me back there? It was like everything was in slow motion."

"I think it was your wolf. It awoke to save you from danger. I wouldn't be surprised if you heal far faster than you once did." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "You need to get some rest. We can talk about this later. I need to meet with the Grangers."

Harry nodded and leaned back against his pillows. "Mum," he called as she turned towards the door. She turned back to face him.

"I'm sorry about Dad's sword."

Lily walked over and stroked his hair back from his forehead. "It was broken in the act of saving lives. If it had to be broken, I think that's what your Father would've wanted."

Harry was too tired to argue. He could feel the world around him slipping away. Before he fell asleep again, Lily's voice floated through his mind.

"I love you son and I am so proud of you."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight**_

Daniel Granger considered himself to be a kind man. He was soft spoken, level headed, and did not anger easily. He always tried to look at the big picture, but at this moment, he wanted to strangle this old man with his beard.

"You're telling me that my daughter was nearly killed by a troll, but not to worry, it was taken care of, is that right? When McGonagall came to visit us she mentioned nothing about the students being in danger of being killed. Had she done so, we certainly never would've allowed Hermione to go to that bloody school."

Monica Granger was usually the quick tempered of the two. Seeing her husband about to kill the old man, she reigned in her own temper and spoke calmly.

"I understand that it was a coincidence that the troll was in the bathroom with my daughter, but why wasn't she at the Halloween feast with everyone else?"

Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably. He'd known this meeting was not going to be easy, but he'd hoped the Grangers would accept that the danger was passed and not be angry. He now realized how foolish that idea had been. The Grangers were not wizards and weren't comfortable with their child being endangered. He calmly tried to explain the situation.

"It appears that two of our students have been bullying Ms. Granger because of her intelligence. On Halloween morning, she'd attempted to help one of the two perform a spell properly. The boy was angry that she showed him up and told her she had no friends. She left the classroom in tears and fled to the bathroom."

"I see," Monica said slowly. "Were the two boys punished? Were they made to apologize?"

Dumbledore winced. "I saw no reason to punish them. I felt that the knowledge of what could've happened as a result of their actions was punishment enough."

"So, in other words, no," Daniel snapped. "You let them off scot free. Is that what you're telling us? Tell me Headmaster, did the two lads seem remorseful over what they did?"

Dumbledore stared at his shoes. "Not at the moment, but I'm sure when it sinks in what could've happened, they will be horrified at what they have done."

"Really?" Monica asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why exactly would they feel guilt, headmaster? Has anyone pointed out that it was their actions that put Hermione's life in danger?"

McGonagall spoke up for the first time. "I can totally understand that you would like to pull Hermione out of Hogwarts after this incident. However, may I make another suggestion?" At Monica's curt nod she continued.

"The boy that saved her is being homeschooled. He has a friend that will not be starting Hogwarts until next year. If you are agreeable, why doesn't Ms. Granger join them? I can assure you that Mr. Evans and Ms. Weasley will not bully her."

Monica and Daniel looked at each other. "She would be able to stay home?" Monica asked hopefully.

McGonagall's lips twitched in what might've been a smile. "Yes," she said. "Ms. Weasley returns home every night."

"We would like to meet the boy's mother, but if we approve of her, I can agree to your suggestion."

McGonagall's slight smile widened. "Oh, I have no doubt you will approve," she said chuckling slightly. "Lily is Muggle-born."

Monica smiled back. She liked this woman. She seemed much more down to earth than the Headmaster. "I look forward to meeting her."

 _ **XXX**_

"Sure," Lily said before McGonagall could even finish her request. "I think it'd be good for Harry and Ginny to have another friend."

McGonagall let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you Lily. I would've hated to lose her. She is really an excellent student."

"I assume I will need to meet with her parents?" Lily asked.

"Yes," McGonagall said.

Lily stood. "Come on, Harry and Ginny are done for the day. They can stay out of trouble long enough for me to meet with her parents. We need to get Hermione back in school as soon as possible."

 _ **XXX**_

"What do you mean it failed. You said that demon would be able to crush the boy." Aeval's rage caused the glass in the mirror to quiver. She glared at Voldemort, her blue eyes glowing bright enough to light the room.

"I didn't expect him to transform into that wolf hybrid form," Voldemort growled. "He surprised me. I thought for sure he was done for once the sword broke. How was I to know he'd be so resourceful?"

Aeval's face went in and out of focus as she paced back and forth. "This is why it was forbidden for fae and shifters to breed. Now that the boy's wolf has been awoken, he is going to be that much harder to kill. He'll heal from any wound inflicted with iron or silver. The only way to kill him will be to rip his heart out and it's not like he's going to hold still for that."

Voldemort grit his teeth. "I will kill the boy. Now that I know what he is capable of he won't surprise me again."

Aeval's glare could have melted steel. "You'd better not fail me, Tom."

Before Voldemort could say a word, Aeval's face vanished from the mirror. With a groan, he sank into a chair and lowered his head into his hands.

He was seriously beginning to regret making a deal with the queen of Faerie. Is this what he had been like with his followers? If so, it was a wonder he'd had any followers left when he was defeated.

He turned to the window and stared at the stars reflected in the glass. He needed to decide what he was going to do. Was he going to try and redeem himself, or was he going to continue to follow Aeval's orders? "I gave my word," he muttered. "No matter how distasteful, I have to finish what I started."

Unnoticed by Voldemort, Oberon watched him from the shadows. He smiled slightly before fading from view.

XXX

Lily's meeting with the Grangers was a success. They had bonded with her immediately and even invited her, Ginny, and Harry for dinner.

"So the fae exist?" Monica asked fascinated. "I thought they were just stories."

Lily reached over and stroked Harry's hair. "Nope, they are real. They just hide from humans now days."

"Because of iron?" Daniel said. "Some of the stories say they are vulnerable to cold iron."

"Iron is only deadly if it enters their bloodstream. They can handle the metal and even enchant it. Actually, iron stores magic better than any other metal. The only downside is it is just as deadly to the fae without magic. Once humans began using iron weapons, the fae retreated to their own realm. Before then, they were worshiped as gods not only for their magic, but for the weapons they could forge."

"Fascinating," Monica said. "But the fae can breed with wizards. Hermione told us that the fae used to trade their weakened children for the wizards squib children. Why would they do that?"

"One of the old kings of the Seelie court had commanded that his subjects only breed with pure-blooded fae. He also forbade anyone in the court from telling Oberon or Aeval. By the time Oberon found out what had happened inbreeding had become a real problem in the Seelie court. thoughtful expression on her face. "I think it was probably to have allies in the mortal world as well."

Lily quickly explained the rules for the Changeling law. When she'd finished, Monica spoke.

"I don't like it, but at least they tried to protect the children. So a lot of the so-called pure-bloods have fae blood. Why do they hate Muggle-borns? According to what Hermione said, they aren't too happy with anything not human. I mean, no offense, but at least the Muggle-borns are human."

"It's the lack of magic," Hermione said quietly. "Because you don't have magic, they view me as a lesser witch."

Lily patted her shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about it. Muggle-borns generally have stronger magic than pure-bloods. As a matter-of-fact, most lines that produce Muggle-borns have fae blood."

The conversation continued through the rest of the meal. Once it was over, and they were all sitting in the living room, the talk turned to schooling.

"Ginny and I would never pick on Hermione," Harry said seriously. "I know what it's like to be hated for something you can't control."

"Good to hear," Daniel said with a smile. He turned to Hermione. "What do you think pumpkin?"

"I want to give it a try," Hermione said quietly.

"Alright," Monica said. "I must say it'll be good to have you home."

Hermione smiled. "It'll be good to be home."

XXX

Hermione entered the cottage hesitantly. She'd expected something far bigger for the former queen of Elphame. Seeing her expression, Lily arched an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked lips twitching. "Were you expecting a mansion with turrets and towers?"

Hermione blushed. "Actually, that's exactly what I was expecting."

"I could afford something like that, but what would be the point? This suits Harry and my needs. If we need something bigger, then I'll get something bigger. Until then…" she broke off and shrugged.

Hermione nodded in understanding as she followed Lily into the kitchen where Harry and Ginny were waiting. "You don't want Harry to grow up to be like Neville."

Lily shook her head. "Neville is arrogant and spoiled for something he has no control over. He may have survived the killing curse, but I seriously doubt he was the one to stop Voldemort. A baby with that kind of power would've shown more signs of it by now. Neville is an average wizard at best. He could be great if he put forth the effort."

"To hear him talk, you'd think that no one could match his power and skill. He makes it sound like he was in control of the demise of Voldemort," Hermione said.

"He doesn't think too highly of the fae either," Harry muttered.

"No he doesn't," Lily said. "I expect that prejudice was formed by the Wizarding media." She sighed. "Magical or Muggle they are both the same. They care nothing for truth. There only concern is what can sell more stories. The more outrageous the story, the better it sells." She shook her head. "Enough about Neville and the Wizarding world. We're here to teach you three magic." She gestured to a chair between Harry and Ginny. "Sit."

Hermione sat down gingerly as if she thought the chair might bite her. Lily sat down across from the three kids. "Hermione, where are you in your studies at Hogwarts."

"Well, in potions, we have just finished a pimple vanishing solution. In transfiguration, we have progressed to turning pencil shavings into termites, and in charms we have just completed the levitation charm."

"So, you are pretty much caught up with Harry and Ginny. You are probably ahead of them in astronomy and Herbology. That seems to be where they need the most work. We weren't even able to test them in Astronomy for obvious reasons. Bloodwind has agreed to help teach you three Herbology, so you will be going to see him three times a week for an hour."

"I thought he was going to open a pub?" asked Ginny.

"He says he needs something else to do with his time," Lily said rolling her eyes. "Personally, I just think he's bored."

"Or he wants to spend more time with you," Harry teased. "He really liked you. You're his special shifter friend."

Lily mock glared at him. "I do have claws you know."

"Never knew you when you didn't," Harry quipped back.

"Moving on," Lily said loudly. "It appears that professor McGonagall has begun your study into nonorganic to organic transfiguration, so that is where we will pick up today."

Lily placed three pencils on the table in front of them. "I want you to try and turn these into worms. They are invertebrates, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Hermione and Ginny, I want you to attempt this silently. Harry, I want you to attempt the transfiguration without drawing the rune. I want you to visualize the rune instead."

All three kids nodded. Hermione looked slightly nervous. "I haven't studied silent casting. We won't be starting that until sixth year."

Lily stood and came around the table to sit beside her. "I know it's more than a little advanced, but I think the sooner you stop relying on verbal spells, the better. I hope someday to have you performing all magic without a wand, like the wizards of old, but that is far in the future. If it proves too advanced, then we'll start back with the incantation for a while, but I think you can handle it. From what I've seen of your grades, you could be in fourth or fifth year if you wanted. You are a dedicated student. All that I ask is that you try."

Hermione nodded and drew her wand. She pointed it at the pencil and concentrated. She pictured an earth worm wriggling out of the mud in her back yard. She could see the slimy form squirming towards her. She could feel its cool moist body in her fingers. Giving her wand a flick, she watched as the shape of the pencil changed.

The wooden worm squirmed across the table with a scratching sound. Harry stared at the pencil turned worm, eyes wide.

"That is a bit creepy," he muttered as his pencil morphed into a slimy mess that dripped off the table and onto the floor.

Grimacing, Lily waved her hand, vanishing the mess on the floor.

"You need more practice,' she told Harry with a grin.

"Hey," Harry said defensively. "This isn't easy."

"If it was, it wouldn't be worth doing," Lily said turning to Ginny.

She smiled as she saw the worm squirming across the table. Her eyes widened when the worm split at one end revealing razor sharp teeth. The worm let out a tiny snarl and began squirming faster across the table. Hurriedly, she snapped her fingers turning the worm back into a pencil.

"What was that?" she asked Ginny. "I asked for a worm, not whatever that was."

"A worm was boring," Ginny said defensively.

"I don't care if it was boring," Lily growled. "Don't go adding things without telling me. You could really hurt someone pulling that kind of stunt."

Ginny looked down at the table. "Sorry," she mumbled, her ears turning red.

Lily calmed slightly. "I don't know what that was, but what if it had been poisonous? It could really hurt someone and we'd have had no cure for it."

Ginny looked up at Lily. "Sorry," she whispered.

Lily hugged her gently. "It's fine. I do understand that you are curious, but just make sure you use caution when you are creating unknown creatures."

Ginny smiled slightly. "I will," she said.

Lily leaned back in her chair. "I think we should take a little break. We'll pick back up in a few moments."

 _ **XXX**_

Over the next few months, the three preteens became the best of friends. Hermione, although she liked transfiguration, developed a love of runes. She spent a lot of time translating all the text concerning runes she could find. Surprisingly, she developed an ability to wield rune magic and began using runes to cast spells instead of a wand.

Ginny continued to flourish in transfiguration. By Christmas she had developed the ability to conjure objects. Lily was very impressed.

"Incredible," she told the younger redhead. "You could probably gain a mastery in transfiguration right now."

Ginny shook her head. "I think I'll stay with Harry and Hermione. A mastery in transfiguration would be fun, but I don't want to be a one trick pony."

As for Harry, he had managed to perform minor magics without drawing the runes. When he had failed to conjure anything after his fourth attempt and couldn't find a rune to conjure an object, he spoke to his Mother.

"Wizards and witches can create objects out of thin air, but the fae cannot."

"Why?" Harry asked disappointed.

"Fae magic is connected to life and nature. It is against nature to create something from nothing. Only one being had that kind of power and no other has inherited it. The fae can multiply food and change objects, but they can't conjure." She touched Harry's cheek forcing him to look at her.

"Fae magic is more potent than wizard magic. You will find that you will be able to master a few more elemental magics. I wouldn't be surprised if you also developed an affinity for wards. Only the fae can create permanent wards and magical objects. Conjured objects eventually vanish.

In essence, wizard magic is faster, but fae magic is stronger."

"If they can permanently enchant objects, why did Dad's sword break?"

"The power of the sword was in the rune work. The runes had been added to a mortal blade, but the sword was not truly an Elven blade. A true Elven blade could have cut through that demon like a knife through butter."

"How do you forge an Elven blade?"

Lily smiled mysteriously. "I'll talk to Bloodwind. He can probably show you how to do it. I'd be real surprised if he hasn't picked up the skill after a few years."

On Christmas day, Harry, Ginny, and Lily met at the Grangers home.

"I am impressed," Daniel said over Christmas dinner. "Hermione has learned more in two months here than she did in nearly three at Hogwarts."

"I don't have to grade a whole lot of papers. Any teacher could do it if they were in my situation."

"Still," Monica said. "Thank you for teaching her. If you hadn't, we'd have had to send her to a school in Europe and we'd still never see her."

"Trust me I know how you feel. Dumbledore has been pressuring me to allow Harry to attend Hogwarts next year."

"Are you going to let him?"

"I don't know," Lily said. "On one hand I don't want to let him out of my sight, but he needs to be around kids his own age."

Monica frowned. "If the kids Hermione has told us about are any indication, he's better off without that lot."

"I have to believe there are some good kids in the Wizarding world. Surely they are not all bad."

"What about Ginny? Isn't she and our daughter enough kids for Harry to grow up with."

"Of course," Lily said calmly, "but wolfshifters have a pack mentality. Before they grow up, they are very social. Once they reach adulthood, most wolfshifters become closed off from those they don't consider friends or family. I don't want Harry to get that way too soon."

The Grangers looked at each other. "Do what you feel is best, but we'll have to decide if we want Hermione returning to Hogwarts or not."

 _ **XXX**_

Hermione turned to Harry and Ginny. Slowly, the three made their way away from the doorway to the dining room.

"Would you like to go back to Hogwarts?" Harry asked her as they made their way up to her room.

"I didn't like being bullied," Hermione said thoughtfully, "but Hogwarts had some incredible books. I'd like to see more of their library."

"Of course you wood," Ginny said with a giggle.

Hermione glared at her playfully. "What about you? Wouldn't you like to turn one of your monsters loose on Hogwarts?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ginny said primly. "I don't call them monsters. I create works of art."

"Right," Harry said sarcastically. "One of your works of art ate a cow."

"We never did find that thing," Ginny said. "I do hope its okay."

Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes in unison. Ginny's pension for transfiguring strange and disturbing creatures was well known. Her last creature had been some kind of cross between a wolf and a tyrannosaurus. It had broken out of the house and vanished into the forest.

Lily had begun searching for it, but so far she hadn't been able to find it. They knew it was still alive because pets and livestock continued to disappear. Ginny had been heart broken when it ate a cat and all of her kittens.

Lily had gently told her that was exactly the reason she shouldn't be transfiguring two creatures into one.

Ginny had agreed to be more careful in the future.

Ginny's voice drew Harry out of his thoughts. "Have you heard any more about Aeval?"

"No," Harry said. "I am really hoping she has lost interest in me."

Ginny snorted. "Fat chance. She is going to be after you until she kills you."

"Thanks Gin," Harry said. "I needed that."

"What are friends for?"

 _ **XXX**_

Unbeknownst to the three friends, Aeval was watching them using her mirror.

She nodded when the redhead pointed out that she wouldn't stop until the half-breed was dead. If Voldemort would keep his end of the bargain everything would be fine.

She gestured sharply causing the image in the mirror to fade. Something was wrong with her pet sorcerer. He seemed conflicted. It was almost as if he regretted agreeing to kill the boy, but why would he? He had already tried to kill the brat once. Why would this time be any different?

What was she going to do? The fae were bound by their word. She couldn't act against Voldemort unless he failed to keep up his end of their agreement. To make matters more frustrating, they had not set a time frame for the boy's death. She had to find out what Voldemort's decision was going to be. If he wasn't going to kill the boy, she needed to know so she could make other plans.

A lightning bolt struck the floor in the center of the throne room. Aeval sat up straight as the stone where the lightning struck smoked and popped.

Another lightning bold struck the stone followed quickly by three more strikes. Aeval stared at the spot where the lightning had struck. A pentagram had been burned into the floor.

A vortex of energy swirled in the center of the arcane symbol. A figure stepped out of the crackling energy and brushed dark hair out of his eyes. He straightened and stepped aside as two more figures emerged from the vortex.

The figure turned towards her. His eyes were a startling emerald green. Aeval's jaw dropped. She knew those eyes.

"Who are you?" she barked a ball of darkness appearing in her hand. The darkness seemed to absorb all the light in the room.

The man smiled. "Me," he said. His voice was not deep and not high pitched, but it carried easily around the throne room.

"I only see three other people here not counting myself and they are wearing hoods. Who are you and why are you here?"

The man looked at the queen of Elphame impassively. "I am the answer to your little Harry Evans problem. I want to kill him."

"Interesting," Aeval said. "I can sense dimensional energy around you. Why would a person from another dimension want to kill the prince of Elphame?"

The man waved his hand conjuring three comfortable looking armchairs. He sat followed quickly by his two companions.

"Let's just say I have my reasons and leave it at that. The boy's death will secure your hold on the throne, but it will make me far more powerful than I am now. Are you interested?"

Aeval leaned forward eagerly. "Very, but what should I call you? If I am to make a pact with you, I'd like a name."

The man smiled revealing straight and blinding white teeth. "For now, you can call me Abaddon."

A/N

Please read and review. This chapter was a little rushed, so please make me aware of any mistakes you may find. I tried to catch them all, but I am aware I may have mist something.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine**_

He felt pain as the swirling wind cut a furrow in the side of his muzzle. Snarling, he charged at the tall figure standing in front of him. He would make him pay for causing him pain.

With a growl, he swiped one clawed hand at the man's head. The man grunted as he flew through the air.

Flipping, the man landed in a crouch. His right leg snapped out catching him in the face. His head snapped back as he flew backwards, crashing through a tree.

Looking down, he saw a tree branch jutting from his stomach. He relaxed in the ground. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stay conscious. Darkness filled his vision and he allowed the peaceful oblivion of unconsciousness to take him.

XXX

Harry groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked down at the wound in his stomach only to see bare skin. Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around.

Bloodwind stood a few feet away. He wiped blood off his face before looking at Harry.

"Your control is still shoddy at best. You need to focus more. You have to learn to control your wolf."

"But I controlled it before," Harry said. "I was at least aware of what was going on. Why is this so different? The first time I changed, I was aware of my surroundings. These past few times have been different. When I change back it's like remembering a dream."

Bloodwind finished wiping the blood from his face before walking over to Harry. "You hadn't gone through the first full moon before you changed. The strongest wolfshifters can control whether to shift or not on the full moon. However, their bestial side is far closer to the surface at the full moon than at other times."

"So what can I do?" Harry asked.

Bloodwind shrugged. "I don't know. I need to talk to your Mother. I need to know how she learned to control her wolf. For now, why don't you go back to the cottage and join your friends."

 _ **XXX**_

"I never asked you to help Harry control his wolf," Lily snapped.

"You wanted me to try and teach him how to forge an elven blade. Since I am unaware how to do that I decided to do this. I only wished to help."

Lily visibly made an effort to reign in her temper. "Look, I know you were only trying to help, but it took me years to fully control my wolf. Because I was changed instead of born, I had to work with another wolfshifter to learn control. I intend to work with Harry now that he has gone through his first moon cycle."

"I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I was just trying to make things easier on you."

Lily hugged him gently before stepping back and looking him in the eye. "Look, I appreciate what you've done for us, and I know you may have wanted more than friendship, but Oberon was more than my husband. He was my mate as well. If Harry hadn't been born, I may have died when he died. I can't have another husband or mate at this time."

"Lily," Bloodwind said softly. "It's been over ten years. Oberon would've wanted you to be happy."

"I know, but the pain is still too fresh. I guess it's a side effect of being immortal. It feels as if I just lost my husband. Do you understand?"

Bloodwind smiled sadly. "Unfortunately I do. When I lost my Mother, it took me decades to fully recover. I guess immortals feel emotions much more vividly than mortals do."

Lily nodded. "I guess we do. I am sorry."

Bloodwind squeezed her shoulder gently. "Shh, there is no reason to apologize. While I do like you and find you attractive, I am not in love with you yet. For your sake, I hope Oberon finds a way back to you."

Lily looked at him confusion clear on her face. "What do you mean?"

Bloodwind turned to the door without answering. "It's getting late. You should get some sleep. Harry and the others have exams coming up in a few days."

Lily watched Bloodwind slip into the night. What had he meant about Oberon finding a way back? Was it possible Oberon was still alive? No, that was impossible. She had felt him die. He was gone and no wishful thinking would bring him back.

 _ **XXX**_

Lily blinked at the barren land around her. Looking up, she saw a figure standing with its back to her. She slowly approached the figure. It spoke without turning around. At the sound if the voice, her heart leapt.

"It's been a long time, my love. You know I never expected you to pine for me the rest of your life."

A lump formed in her throat. Tears ran down her cheeks as she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oberon," she sobbed. "I thought I'd never see you again."

She felt his arms wrap tightly around her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his blue hair fluttering in the wind.

"I didn't expect to see you until you crossed over. The spell I used to close the gates of Elphame had some side effects I had not foreseen."

Lily drew back and stared at his smooth unlined face. "What do you mean?"

Oberon gestured around them. "This is limbo. Think of it as a realm between realms. Most souls pass through this place to get to wherever they are going. I've been the only one to spend an excessive amount of time here."

"Are you holding on to life? Can you be restored? How long have you been here?"

"I've been here for ten years. When I first got here, I was too week to do anything. I could make short trips out of this realm for a few moments, but I could not affect the mortal world. In Elphame, I had a bit more power."

"Wait," Lily snapped. "If you've been able to make short trips out of this realm, why haven't you come to see me?"

Oberon didn't flinch. He remained as calm as ever. "I had to prioritize. As much as I wanted to see you, I had to try and protect Harry."

"Protect him?" Lily said. "How could you protect him if you don't have a body? You said you had no power in the mortal world."

"I don't," Oberon said. "I do have enough power to pull disembodied souls from Elphame to this place. Once I've done that, I've found a way to mark that soul so I can find them again no matter what wards they hide behind. This is what I did to Aeval's agent."

"Aeval's agent?"

"Voldemort."

Lily's eyes widened. "He's still alive?"

Oberon nodded. "I have much to tell you."

XXX

At the start of June, Harry and the others prepared to take their exams. Lily had not mentioned anything about Voldemort over the past few months, preferring to wait and see if he showed himself. On the morning of the exams, they were all preparing to leave.

"I don't know if I can do this," Hermione fretted. "What if I fail? What if I am unable to continue my magical education? What if…"

"What if you do very well and are the top student in the school," Lily interrupted gently. "You will do fine."

"Yeah," Harry chimed in. "If anyone is going to fail, it's going to be me. I don't even use the same type of magic as wizards."

Lily glared at him. "None of you are going to fail," she said throwing up her hands in exasperation. It was clear this wasn't the first time she'd said that.

"Come on," Ginny said. "Weren't you nervous when you were at Hogwarts?"

Lily smiled. "Oh yes, I was as nervous as you three when it came time for every test, but you three are well trained. Bloodwind has got you caught up on Herbology, and I've managed to get you caught up on astronomy."

Lily gestured for the three kids to sit. When Hermione protested, Lily placed a finger to her lips. "Shh, we have time." When the three had taken their seats, Lily continued. "Remember kids, it's not like you have to make an outstanding on all of your exams. Would I be proud if you did that? Absolutely, but all I want is for you to try your best. That's all any teacher can ask of their students. Honestly, I don't think you are going to have a bit of trouble with these exams. The tasks I've set you this past year are far more demanding than anything Hogwarts would ask of you during your first year."

Harry stood. "Come on," he said offering his hand to the two girls. "Let's get going."

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I'm sure we'll do fine."

Ginny grimaced. "Let's get this over with."

XXX

Voldemort paced his quarters like a caged animal. Things had not gone to plan at all. He'd just found out the boy was going to be here today to take his final exams. This was going to be his last chance. He couldn't afford to fail.

Something had changed in the past six months. Aeval was pulling away from him. They'd had a deal and the fae were bound by their word. What could this mean? Was she about to give up on him? If she did, what would happen to his spirit? Would it be forced to journey to the other side?

"No," he growled. He couldn't allow himself to fade yet. He would kill the boy and regain Aeval's confidence in him.

"She has a new ally," Oberon's voice said from his left.

Turning, Voldemort glared at the ghost of the fae king. "Why have you been haunting me this year?"

"I'm trying to save you."

"I don't need saving," Voldemort said calmly. You're not a god. You can't absolve me of my sins."

Oberon was silent. Voldemort continued to taunt him. It was so good to finally be able to let out some of his frustration.

"The fact is you want to be the hero don't you? If you can convince me not to kill your son, you can not only save his life, but you can go to the next world telling yourself that you redeemed my soul. News Flash Oberon, I can't be saved. I am already damned."

"Yet you are still here," Oberon said ignoring most of what Voldemort has said. "When it comes to the afterlife, you have no more idea about what goes on than I do. As long as that is the case, you can still be redeemed. It's not too late tom. You already know that Aeval is pulling away."

"I will keep up my end of our agreement."

"When?" Oberon asked patiently. "Neither you nor Aeval set a time limit. Aeval could've called in your agreement at any time. Face it Tom, you've been living on borrowed time since the beginning of the year. Your only hope for escape is to abandon this quest."

Oberon stared at Voldemort. His golden eyes were hard. "Even if you kill my son and steal the stone, you don't have half of your original power. You would never get out of the school alive. Once you were gone, then what? The fae can obey the letter of the law when they want to. Technically, you already have a body. Luckily for you Aeval promised to restore you to your original body or she could've said that she would just get a body." Oberon gestured at Voldemort. "You have that now in case you haven't noticed. If you fail, you may lose the only chance you have at life left."

Voldemort snapped. "That's enough. I gave my word. This is the last time we will speak of this. I will kill your brat and regain my former glory and nothing you can say will stop me. Go away; I am tired of talking to you. I'm tired of you trying to talk me out of what needs to be done. We're done. Do you hear me? I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Without a word, Oberon vanished. It was as if Voldemort's words had blown him away. Voldemort stood there panting heavily.

"There you bastard," he muttered. "I showed you."

As he turned back to his desk, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had made a big mistake.

 _ **XXX**_

Entering the entrance hall, the first thing the three saw was Professor McGonagall.

"There you are," the old Scotswoman said. "Come on, the first test is mine."

She led the three down the hallway and to the transfiguration classroom. As they walked, Harry extended his senses, probing the wards around the castle.

"The wards feel stronger," he commented to McGonagall.

"I sure hope so," McGonagall said with a snort. "It took the Headmaster forever to find the texts that described the wards."

Harry nodded approvingly. "He did well. There are hardly any cracks in them and the few that exist are too small for anything to get through. I'm no ward expert, but I think those cracks I can sense will close eventually."

"You're right," Lily said placing a hand on his shoulder. "The wards are reconnected to the ley lines in this area, so they will heal."

McGonagall's thin lips might've twitched. "I am glad you approve."

As they entered the transfiguration classroom, Neville leapt to his feet.

"What is he doing here?"

"Longbottom," McGonagall growled. "Sit down," her voice snapped like a whip. "He is here for the same reason as you. He is here to take his final exams."

"But he's not even human," Neville spluttered.

"The fae have been granted a place at Hogwarts as you very well know. It was their magic that aided in the construction of this school. Now, unless you want to be removed from my classroom, I suggest you keep quiet and sit back down."

Neville sat down, glaring at the Transfiguration professor.

McGonagall gestured for Harry and the others to take a seat. She brought out a cage of mice and began passing them out. "You know what these are for I assume?"

Harry nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Good," McGonagall said with a slight smile. "Let's get started."

Harry gestured at the mouse before she'd even finished speaking. The mouse shrank and became a beautiful leather box. Intricate beadwork covered the lid forming the shapes of moons and stars. The beads trailed down the sides, showing fish swimming in a lake and wolves prowling through a forest scene.

McGonagall's mouth hung open. "Mr. Evans," she whispered. "This is beautiful." She lifted the box and ran her fingers over the leather. "It looks like something the Native Americans might make."

Harry stared at the small leather box. "My Mum told me that a lot of the Native American spirits were really fae. Coyote, Spider Grandmother, and Glooscap to name a few."

"Fascinating," McGonagall said turning to Ginny and Hermione.

She gaped again as she saw Ginny's box. It was a thin wooden box with birds decorating the top. At first glance McGonagall could make out a hawk, eagle, and falcon. Most incredibly, each bird was moving. As she watched the young girl move her wand, she saw a forest scene appearing on the sides of the box.

"Ms. Weasley," McGonagall said softly. "This is amazing." She jumped as the carved hawk dove out of the sky and seized a squirrel from one of the trees.

Lastly, she turned to Hermione. She looked at the simple wood box in front of her. There was no decoration or adornment on the wood. Instead several runes had been etched into the lid. She watched as Hermione pushed the box towards her.

"Go ahead, put something in the box."

McGonagall took a small diamond broach from her cloak and put it in the box. As she closed the lid, she felt a small prick on her index finger. Looking down, she saw a drop of blood smeared across the box. The blood sank into the wood.

Hermione tried to open the box. No sooner had her fingers touched the lid, she hissed and jerked her hand back. McGonagall could see blisters forming on her fingers. Before she could do anything, Harry took Hermione's hand.

"I can fix that," he said stroking his fingers over her burned hand. A pale blue light followed the path of his fingers. The blisters grew smaller and smaller until they had completely faded away.

"Wow," Hermione said. "I didn't know you could do that."

"I can heal minor injuries like this," Harry explained. "Mum wanted me to be able to heal just in case."

The rest of the class stared at the three with open hostility. "Why did you make us watch that?" Seamus bellowed. "How are we supposed to compete with that?"

"You don't have to compete with them," McGonagall said. "I didn't make you watch, but they must take the practical exams in one day. I thought it best if they went before the rest of you." She turned to the three potential students.

"You may go," she said. "I don't think I need to tell you that you passed the test?"

Harry and the others exited the transfiguration classroom to find professor Flitwick waiting for them.

"There you three are," he said. "Come along, I have a free period, so I will be testing you next."

He led them to the charms classroom and made them take seats. He handed them each a pineapple.

"Make this tap dance."

Ginny flicked her wand, murmuring something under her breath. The pineapple grew two thick furry legs and began tap dancing across the desk.

"That's different," Flitwick said scratching his head, "but I'd still say it counts as a…"

The walking pineapple split down the middle revealing long razor sharp teeth. It snarled and launched itself at Flitwick's face.

They didn't see Flitwick move. His wand came out and he blasted the pineapple with a spell. Blood and chunks of fur and fruit splattered the room.

Harry turned to Ginny. "What was that?"

Ginny shrugged. "He said make it tap dance. I made it tap dance."

"He didn't say make it bite his face," Harry groused.

"That is quite alright," Flitwick said putting his wand away. He turned to Ginny. "You did make the pineapple tap dance, but I don't think you used a charm. That looked more like transfiguration to me." He placed a new pineapple in front of her.

"Fine," Ginny flicked her wand and the pineapple tap danced across the desk.

"Very good," Flitwick said.

Harry and Hermione performed the same spell and made the pineapple dance.

"Excellent," Flitwick said enthusiastically. "Well done. In future," he continued with a pointed look at Ginny. "Try to keep your spells at least in the same general area that your professor asks."

Ginny pouted. "Spoil sport."

Harry snorted while Flitwick chuckled.

"That may be, but you have at least three more exams today.

 _ **XXX**_

The rest of the morning passed without incident. The three were set the task of replanting mandrakes in Herbology.

"I thought we didn't do this until second year," Harry grunted. He took off his earmuffs and wiped sweat from his forehead.

Professor Sprout shrugged. "I wanted to see how well you did with this. Besides, they're only babies. If you messed up it wouldn't have killed you, just knocked you out for a few hours."

Harry glared at Sprout. "We have other exams today."

Sprout stared at him so long it made him uncomfortable. "If you'd passed out, I suppose you wouldn't be ready for second year would you?"

As they left the greenhouse, Harry turned to the other two. "I get the feeling she doesn't like me."

Ginny nodded. "Professor Sprout is supposed to be a fair teacher. From what Fred and George told me, she doesn't play favorites and she seemed to be very understanding."

"Could it be your fae heritage?" Hermione asked.

"I don't see why, but I suppose it's possible."

"Let's not worry about it right now," Ginny said. "We have lunch and then Defense against the dark arts and potions. Once we have that taken care of we can think about the teachers."

 _ **XXX**_

As they sat down in the great Hall Fred and George walked up.

"Well," said Fred. "If it isn't little Gin Gin and her boyfriend. Here to take your exams are you?"

"Shut up!" Ginny snapped.

"Touchy," George said. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"We're here to take our final exams as Fred guessed. What are you deaf?" Hermione said.

"Good one," Fred said smirking, "For a first year anyway."

"Well," George said turning serious. "I hope you pass. You'll only be two years behind us instead of three."

"Why would that matter?" Harry asked.

"Because we don't want to prank first years."

Harry stared at the twins as they walked away. "You know, if it wasn't for the fact I actually want to be in second year, I'd fail the rest of my exams just on general principle."

Ginny giggled. "Come on, besides the snake prank the rest of their pranks weren't that bad."

"Snake prank?" Hermione asked raising an eyebrow.

"They er…" Harry blushed while Ginny giggled harder.

"They turned his privates into a snake," she choked out between guffaws.

Hermione began giggling to. "That had to be unpleasant."

"It bit me," Harry said scowling down at the table.

The two girls burst into peals of laughter.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort watched Harry laugh with his friends. The more he saw the more he hated what had to be done. He fingered the small charm in his pocket. He'd only get one shot at this. He had to make it good. Taking a deep breath, he stood and headed for his classroom. It was time for him to hold up his part of the deal.

 _ **XXX**_

As Harry entered the Defense against the Dark arts classroom, Quirrell smiled from his place near the blackboard.

"Welcome you three," he said smiling jovially. "I hope you have been practicing hard over the past few months."

The three preteens made noises of ascent. "We have sir," Harry said.

"Good," Quirrell said stepping towards them. He held up three charms. "Each of you take a charm. Your test is to knock your opponent down with the knockback jinx."

"Opponent?" Ginny asked. "They look tiny."

Quirrell smiled. "Here," he said handing Ginny the small statue he held in his hand.

Ginny took the statue. Looking closer, she marveled at the intricate detail that had been put into the statues creation.

It appeared to be made of obsidian, but it wasn't all black. Its cloak was black along with its robes. The pointed hat on its head was a sapphire blue. In its right hand, it held a short shaft of wood.

"What do I do now?" Ginny asked.

"Place it on the floor," Quirrell said.

Ginny did so and took a hasty step back when the statue grew to over six feet tall. Its right arm shot up and a red bolt of light flew from its wand.

Ginny ducked and the spell smashed into the wall behind her. Looking up, she was just in time to avoid another jet of red light.

"Relax," Quirrell called. "They're only stunning spells."

"Flipendo," Ginny yelled. A red light streaked from her wand and struck the statue in the chest. The instant the jinx hit it the statue froze and shrank back down to its miniature form.

Quirrell clapped. "Well done," he said. "Ms. Granger you next."

Hermione took a statue from the professor's hand. This statue was small and its robes were stretched over a broad belly. A thin beard grew from its chin.

She gently placed the statue on the floor. When it grew to life size, Hermione immediately threw herself flat. "Flipendo," she shrieked.

The bolt of scarlet light struck the statues foot causing it to freeze. Within seconds, it had resumed its normal size.

"Well done," Quirrell complimented. "You watched Ms. Weasley and learned from her fight with the first statue." He turned to Harry. "Mr. Evans, you next."

Harry walked up and reached out to take the statue. He froze as he recognized the image in Quirrell's hand. He would know that black hair and those tiny horns anywhere. His Mother had told him all about the queen that had forced them out of Elphame. Before he could draw his hand back, Quirrell had reached out and gripped his hand. The statue was flush between their palms.

"What…" Harry began.

He was cut off as light blazed up around him. There was a clap of thunder. When the light faded, both Harry and Quirrell were gone.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry landed on his feet and glared at Quirrell. "What's going on here?"

Quirrell just looked at him his expression totally blank.

"You may not believe me boy, but I am sorry. I don't want to do this, but I gave my word."

"What are you talking about?" His eyes widened as he remembered the shape of the charm. "You made a deal with Aeval."

Quirrell smiled sadly. "Yes, I did. I had to in order to regain a body."

"You aren't Quirrell. You're someone else."

Quirrell nodded. "Very observant. It has been a long time since I saw you. Last time, you were just a baby."

"Voldemort," Harry growled his golden eyes turning amber."

Voldemort nodded looking pleased. "Very good, you are much quicker on the uptake than I would've guest."

"Your body was destroyed. How did you survive?"

"I made a deal with a devil," Voldemort said solemnly. "Aeval really wants you dead you know."

"And what do you get out of this deal?"

"My old body and power returned to me. You see, this body does not have near my old power. I'd hoped that would change over time, but alas that has not happened. Enough talk," he said suddenly. "It is time to end this. If you hold still, I will make this as quick and painless as possible."

Harry dove to the side as a bolt of green light flew towards him. Raising one hand, he started to visualize a rune, but was forced to duck again when Voldemort sent a blasting curse at his head.

Swearing, Harry threw out his hands, blue gouts of flame flying from his fingertips.

Voldemort easily blocked it with a shield. "You'll have to do better than that," he said smiling.

Harry gestured at the statue of Aeval lying on the floor. He concentrated on an image of the statue growing to life size and goring Voldemort with its horns.

Aeval's statue shot up to six feet tall and charged at Voldemort. The spells Voldemort fired bounced harmlessly off its obsidian body. He cried out as the horns plunged into his stomach.

As the statue stepped back, there was a wet ripping sound when the horns came free.

Voldemort fell to one knee. Looking down, he saw two smoking holes in his stomach. He looked up at Harry. "How did you know that would work," he choked.

"I didn't," Harry said. "I just needed a moment to center myself."

Voldemort flew backwards as lightning coursed over his body. He smashed into the wall behind him. He struggled to free himself from the stream of electricity, but with no luck.

Walking forward, Harry's arm began to change. The muscles bunched and his arm sprouted a thick layer of black fir. His hand shifted becoming a clawed horror. As he shifted his arm, he struggled not to let the wolf take over.

"I am going to end you right here and now," he growled, his deep voice vibrating the stone. Fire engulfed his claws. He swung his hand down at Voldemort's head.

Voldemort rolled out of the way and lunged forward. Harry spun out of the way and watched as Voldemort flew passed him.

Whirling around, he watched as Voldemort muttered something and smashed a glowing fist into a mirror. He drew his hand back clutching a blood red stone. He turned to face Harry.

"I have part of what I came for. With Nicholas's philosophers stone Aeval will be able to break the spell your Father cast. Elphame's gates will be open once again."

Harry stared at the innocuous red stone. It looked normal enough, but he could sense the power radiating off of it. It was as if a thousand beetles had been put under his skin. He wanted to scratch and claw rip and tear his own flesh to get them out. Instead, he smiled at Voldemort.

"Bad move."

Voldemort stared at him. "What?"

Harry thrust his hand forward. A ball of flame shot out of his closed fist and swallowed Voldemort's hand.

Voldemort screamed as his flesh and bone was fused fast to the stone. Harry watched as the stone began to glow.

"What have you done," Voldemort howled.

"You really should've killed me before grabbing the stone. You aren't thinking clearly perhaps because you are conflicted over your actions?" He waited for a response. When he received none, he continued. "The Philosophers stone is a powerful magical artifact. I didn't think it would react well to a direct hit from magic.

Voldemort reached over and yanked the stone free, tearing off his right hand in the process. "This isn't over," he panted as blood spurted from the wound.

Harry's eyes widened as the blood became crimson flames. "You can't," he whispered. "That spell will consume all the blood in your body."

"Thanks to you, I'm dying anyway," Voldemort snarled. "You think I can go to the hospital wing for this now?"

Harry dodged the wall of flames, but was not quick enough to avoid the slender blade of flame that struck him in the chest. He grunted as the fiery sword exited his back in a spray of steaming blood. He felt his legs give out and he fell flat on his face.

"It's over," Voldemort panted from above him.

Rolling over, Harry turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Not quite," he choked. He pointed one finger at Voldemort's smoking hand. A slender beam of light struck the hand.

The light surrounded the hand. Harry laughed again, coughing up more blood.

"What…" Voldemort began only to be cut off by a massive explosion.

Harry watched as Voldemort's top half vanished in a spray of gore. "I win," he croaked as the room began to collapse around him. He felt a hand grip his wrist. Turning his head, he saw a pair of golden eyes staring at him. Blue hair fell to the man's shoulders surrounding a pale unlined face.

"You aren't dying yet, son," Oberon said as he gathered Harry into his arms.

"Dad?" Harry croaked.

"Hold on," Oberon said. "I've got you."

The last thing Harry saw before the darkness took him was the room behind them melting into a pull of magma. Faintly, he could hear Voldemort's screams as the remains of his body was reduced to ash.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten**_

Light slowly penetrated Harry's eyelids. He blinked as the world slowly came into focus. As he became aware of his surroundings, the memory of how he got here returned.

He looked down at his chest expecting to see a bloody wound where his lung should be, but there was nothing but smooth unblemished skin.

"I healed you."

Harry turned at the sound of the voice to see a man standing behind him. His skin was pale. His hair was sapphire blue and his eyes looked like two suns in his face.

"Dad?" he whispered.

The man inclined his head. "Hello son, you've grown."

"Babies do that," Harry quipped.

"Indeed they do."

"I thought you were dead."

"Yes and no. My hearts not beating, but my body is still intact. I'd say I'm on the border. That's not important right now. We need to talk."

"About?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow.

"Magic," Oberon said seriously.

"I'm going to be teaching you how to use your magic. Think of the runes like a wand for a wizard. They are training tools, not the foci you use to cast spells. Once you have truly mastered your magic the runes will become unnecessary. It is clear that Aeval is not going to stop coming after you, so you do not have the time to learn your magic the slow way."

"But Mum said it would take years to master my magic."

"Luckily for you, time is no barrier here. I'll be able to teach you all you need to know and no time will pass in the living world.

"Okay," Harry said, "so when do we begin?"

"Now," Oberon said sitting down and gesturing for Harry to join him. "First, I need to ask you a question. Have you ever noticed a drain in your magical reserves?"

Harry thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I get tired, but I am never magically drained at least not for long. When I am, I usually recharge very quickly."

"That is because the fae are magic. Every drop of blood and inch of flesh is magic. Although you may be unaware of it, the fae are attuned to the magic around them, specifically the closest ley lines; the lines of mystical energy that run throughout a realm. This gives us the ability to draw on extra power if needed. It also gives us the ability to know exactly where we are at all times.

In most realms, we draw power from ley lines when necessary. The danger for us is in overtaxing our body. Draw too much magic and we can die from exhaustion. Once you are aware of the lines, you can not only draw power from them, but teleport along the lines as well. Unfortunately, with the gates to Elphame shut, the power you will have access to will not be what it should. Also, if someone else is drawing power from the lines, you won't have access to as much energy."

"What about a realm that has no ley lines? Does that mean we won't have any magic?"

"No, we have our own magic. We don't consciously draw power from the ley lines unless we have to because of the risks involved. Most realms that don't have lines are filled to the brim with magic."

Harry stood. "There aren't any Ley lines here."

"Nope, but this realm is pure magic. Unlike me, you have a physical form, so you will be able to tap into more of the energy of this place. I cannot tap into the energy I would if I had a body because the magic of this place is keeping my soul here. The last time I Drew on it too much I passed out."

Enough of that," Oberon said clapping his hands. "First I want you to relax, let your senses expand. Search for the energy around you."

Harry obeyed. He let his senses stretch out feeling for a source of magic. Dimly, he could hear Oberon's voice.

"It's different for everyone, but try and visualize a body of water. That may help."

Harry immediately thought of the lake at Hogwarts. He pictured the icy waters in the middle of the grounds. He could see the crystal clear depths. He could smell the clear clean scent of the water mixed with the musty smell of mud and fish.

It was as if he'd been plunged into the depths of the lake in December. Icy cold power flooded his veins. It was so cold it burned. He could hear a rushing in his ears. The smell of hot metal filled his nose. The power filled him to overflowing. It pushed against his skin as if trying to rip him apart. It was too much. He was going to explode.

His eyes flew open. Looking down at his hands, he saw that they were glowing fiercely. Blue lightning crackled along his skin. His breathing quickened as the power built. He watched in horror as his skin rippled. The small hairs on his arms stood straight up.

"Relax," Oberon said firmly. "Don't fight it. Embrace it, accept it. This power is yours to command."

Harry tried to obey. He forced himself to relax. He felt his muscles uncoil. The power flowing through him lessened. He could fill it flowing through every muscle and nerve filling him with energy.

"That's it," Oberon said. "It'll be over in a moment."

The burning power flowing inside him began to fade. Harry watched as the lightning crackling along his skin seemed to sink into him. He sighed in relief as his skin stopped rippling. He became aware of the reservoir of energy at his command. It was amazing. He felt as if he could do anything, accomplish any goal. It was as if a part of him that had been missing had finally been restored.

"Easy," Oberon warned. "Don't get over confident. Remember, your body can only handle so much power."

"Is there any way to increase the amount of power our body can channel?"

"It's just like everything else. You have to practice. Come on, we need to get started. Time may stand still here, but I bet your Mother will be worried. As much as I'd like to spend time with you, I want to allay her fears as soon as possible."

 _ **XXX**_

Lily snarled as she slammed Dumbledore into the wall. "What do you mean he's gone?"

Dumbledore grunted as his back hit the stone. "We'll find him," he choked as he stared into Lily's eyes. "He'll be fine. We won't let anything happen to him, I swear it."

"You said he'd be safe here. I send him to take his exams and he gets kidnapped by one of your professors. To top it all off, we then find out that professor was really Voldemort. Am I missing anything so far?"

"The wards never alerted me to anything," Dumbledore said his voice calm. "As far as they were concerned, he was Quirrell. I never noticed anything different besides the fact he had a desire to teach the students as proficiently as possible. He wanted to be the best Defense against the Dark arts teacher he could be."

Lily slowly relaxed. She let go of Dumbledore and collapsed into a chair. "Why would he do that?"

"Voldemort was always concerned about the muggles. What made him so dangerous was his belief that he was doing the right thing. He honestly believes it is best for the wizards to destroy the muggles, not because he thought wizards were superior, but because he believes muggles are a danger to all magical races."

"He's probably not wrong there," Lily said. "Humans as a rule fear what they do not understand. If the muggles ever found out about us, they would start a genocidal massacre. My parents accepted me, but we can't count on an entire race to be as accepting."

"What about the fae?"

Lily shrugged. "It'd probably be a war. A few in the muggle government know about the fae, but not the general public."

"Who would win?"

"I don't know. Tanks couldn't kill the fae, but as you know, if iron enters their bloodstream they become poisoned. Also, if wounds are inflicted with iron weapons, they heal far slower than normal."

Their conversation was interrupted as Ginny and Hermione rushed into the office.

"Where's Harry," Ginny yelled. "We can't find him anywhere."

"He's missing," Lily said, "but don't worry we'll find him."

"Missing," Hermione said shrilly. "I thought you said we'd be safe here."

Before anyone could respond, McGonagall entered the office. "Albus," she said holding up a stack of parchment. "You may want to take a look at this."

 _ **XXX**_

Harry flexed his hand to get the cramp out of it. "I still don't see why you had me do this," he complained. "This has nothing to do with fae magic."

"No, but it does have to do with your education."

"Where did you get parchment and quills anyway? What did you pull them out of your butt or something?"

"Right," Oberon said with a smirk. "You've been using my crap to write your essays. I bet that's a great mental image isn't it?"

Harry glared at him.

"Don't look at me that way you said it not me."

Harry flicked his fingers at the parchment. He watched as it wavered before disappearing.

"See," Oberon said. "That did have to do with fae magic. You had to teleport the parchment to your professors."

"What now?" Harry asked.

"I'll be sending you back, or more precisely, you'll be going back. Since this will be your first teleportation using the lines, you're probably going to pass out. I'd recommend aiming for a person instead of a location."

Harry looked at his Father. "I'm going to miss you."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Oberon drew him into a hug. "Stay alive, okay son?"

"I'll try," Harry said.

Oberon ruffled his hair. "There is no try there is do and do not now get going."

Turning away, Harry tapped into the well of power surrounding him. He visualized his Mother. He concentrated on that image, before giving the energy flowing through him a sharp tug. The ground dropped out from beneath his feet and he began falling.

 _ **XXX**_

"Where did this come from?" Dumbledore asked leafing through the pile of parchment.

McGonagall shook her head. "I don't know. They just appeared. It is Mr. Potter's handwriting?" she asked Lily.

Lily nodded looking stunned. "Oh yes, that's his handwriting alright. I can tell that from here. What is on the parchments, Albus?"

"It appears to be the written exams. There's even one for potions."

"But he's only been gone an hour," Hermione spluttered. "How is that possible?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Dumbledore said. "I do not have a clue how this happened."

"So where do we look," Hermione said. "You said he was missing. He's got to be here somewhere if he wrote those exam results."

"We have no idea how long ago he wrote that," Lily said gesturing at the parchment.

"We have no idea who took him from Voldemort either," Dumbledore said rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache. "We have to assume they wanted him alive, but why they would allow him to take his written exam I cannot even hazard a guess. In order to have written these, he has to be on a different time stream than ours." He turned to Lily.

"Is there anyway Aeval could've taken him?"

"I don't see how," Lily said. "The gates are shut. She couldn't get through to take him. That is after all why she needed an agent. It was the only way she could get to him. Even if she did, she would've killed him, not given him work to do."

"So what are we going to…?" Ginny began.

Blue lightning lit up the room. There was a crack of thunder as a figure fell out of the air. It landed with a heavy thud on the floor. When the light faded, they all saw Harry lying on his back.

"Well," he croaked trying to sit up. "That was unpleasant." His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped backwards, unconscious.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry blinked his eyes open and stared around the sterile white room. He instinctively reached for the nearest ley line. As the wild untamed energy flowed through him, the drowsiness faded from his mind. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his Mother sitting beside him.

"Harry?" she looked up from the book she was reading. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, the trip was just a little ruff. Dad warned me about that. He said the first trip was always the most taxing."

"Oberon?" Lily said confused. "When did you see him? We know you were fighting Voldemort, but you disappeared. Did your Father help you in some way?"

Harry quickly explained everything he'd learned while in limbo.

"So it is their magic that sustains elves and helps them heal faster and more effectively than humans?"

Harry nodded.

"So your Dad taught you how to use magic without the runes?"

"Yeah, it was hard, but I finally learned to use my magic with will and intent alone. At first, it took a lot of concentration, but the more I practiced the less concentration it took."

"Do you feel up to showing me?"

Harry gestured at a glass sitting on the bedside table. Water flowed out of thin air and filled the glass to the brim. With another gesture, the glass rose off the table and floated into his hand. He drained the glass and grinned at his Mother.

"See?"

"I thought your element was fire?"

"It is, but my secondary element is air. To get the water, I simply reach out and find the closest source of water then you air magic to lift the water and bring it where I want to go."

"Fascinating," Lily said smiling. "So what else can you do?"

"Unfortunately, I only know the basics of elemental magic. Limbo was not the best place to practice. There's not even earth there as such."

"So you still have plenty to learn?"

"Yeah, Dad was only able to teach me how to use magic without runes and that was more of a concentration issue. The rest was just theory. Now that I'm here again, I am going to have to put everything I've learned into practice."

Lily hugged him. "I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"Thanks Mum," Harry said hugging her back."

"You have some friends that are dying to see you."

No sooner had she spoken, the door burst open revealing Hermione and Ginny.

"Harry," the girls shrieked.

The next second Harry found himself in a three way hug.

"We were so worried," Hermione cried.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

"I would like to know that myself," Dumbledore said eyes twinkling.

"It's a long story," Harry said.

"We have time," Dumbledore said holding up a stack of parchment.

"Yeah, Dad wanted me to get that taken care of," Harry said scowling. "He said it would be less for me to do when I got back."

"He was quite right," Dumbledore said eyes still twinkling.

Harry quickly explained everything that'd happened from the time he'd been kidnapped by Voldemort to the time he appeared in Dumbledore's office. He only left out the specifics of what his Father had taught him. He didn't want to make Dumbledore aware of what he'd learned.

"Interesting," Dumbledore said finally. "I wonder if he knew his soul would be trapped between worlds."

"I don't think so," Harry said. "He said something about his spell having unforeseen consequences."

"Well, we can talk about that later. For now, we need to determine what you three are going to do for schooling next year."

Harry and the others looked at each other. "Mum?"

Lily rubbed her forehead. She glanced at Dumbledore. "It would be easy for me to blame you for what happened to Harry, but I do recognize that this was extenuating circumstances. The odds of this incident happening again are very low. Having said that, I don't know that I feel comfortable with Harry coming here."

"I could offer you a position," Dumbledore said. "Harry and the girls could even stay in your quarters if you like."

"Why do you want Harry here so bad?"

Dumbledore didn't answer.

"I don't like not knowing your reasons for wanting Harry here, but I do think it'd be beneficial for Harry to be around other kids his own age. I've talked to the Grangers. They said as long as I was here they'd allow Hermione to return to Hogwarts if she wished."

Hermione smiled slightly. "As long as Harry and Ginny are here, I'd be willing to try."

Lily nodded. "We'll try it for a year and see what happens, but if anything happens that endangers these kids, we're gone, understood?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Flitwick wishes to retire. You will be taking his position if that is acceptable?"

"That is fine."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said smiling broadly. "I'll be in touch."

Harry watched as Dumbledore swept from the room. Lily handed him his clothes.

"Come on, we're going home."

"What about Hermione and Ginny's written exam and my potions practical?"

"Professor Slughorn has agreed to allow me to test you in potions. Hermione and Ginny will return in a week to take their written exam."

Harry got dressed and followed his Mother out of the hospital wing. As he walked down the hallway, he sincerely hoped his next year at Hogwarts was not as exciting as this one had been.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort drifted in the darkness. It was complete and utter sensory deprivation. Where was he? Was this hell? Was this the fate that awaited him when he passed beyond the vale? Distantly, he became aware of a voice.

"Tom," it called. "Come back."

Who was Tom? Did he know a Tom? Why did that name sound so familiar?

The world snapped into being around him. Everything came crashing back. Voldemort looked frantically around the throne room.

"So you have returned," Aeval said her lips twisted in a sneer. "You have failed me."

Voldemort said nothing. There was no point. He had failed her. He couldn't deny that. The only thing left to do was see what she was going to do with him.

Aeval regarded him as if she were looking at a bug underneath a microscope. "You shall have one more chance."

A small black book appeared in her hand. Voldemort stiffened at sight of it.

"How did you get that?" he whispered hoarsely.

"You are not my only agent in the mortal world now," Aeval said flipping through the pages of the book. "This book contains a pseudo soul of your sixteen year old self. Quite ingenious for one so young."

Voldemort said nothing. He was too absorbed with staring at the book in Aeval's hand.

"You designed this to open the chamber of secrets, did you not?"

Voldemort nodded.

"This was a last resort?"

Another nod.

"I am going to merge you with the magic of this book. By absorbing another's life, you will be able to restore yourself to a corporeal form. Remember, this is your last chance."

Before Voldemort could say a word, Aeval gestured and he was sucked into the book. The pages fluttered wildly for a few seconds before the book slammed shut.

Abaddon stepped from the shadows. "He will fail," he said casually.

"Perhaps," Aeval said dismissively, "but one more chance won't hurt. Besides," she added with a smile. "That's why I have you."

She watched as Abaddon turned away. She hoped Voldemort succeeded this time. She didn't want to have to trust Abaddon. There was something unsettling about him. She always felt like she had to be on her guard when she was around him.

Nevertheless, she would work with him, if necessary. She would do whatever it took to reopen the gates of Elphame.

A/N Please read and review. Let me know if the explanation of fae magic makes sense. If not, I'll need to rewrite it.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

The light of the moon barely penetrated the canopy of branches. Silence blanketed the forest save for the chirping of crickets and hooting of owls. The relative silence was broken by a deafening snarl.

He lunged at the woman before freezing. He could not attack a female. Her voice, soft but firm filled his mind.

"Control Harry, don't let the wolf control your actions. Control the wolf. Let your mind guide the wolf's instincts. Don't let the instincts of the wolf cloud your judgment."

Harry? Who was Harry? Why did that name seem so familiar?

He snarled, foam dripping from his fangs.

"Control yourself," Lily snapped. "You're not a dog. Don't act like one."

At her words, a spark of awareness flared in his mind. He was Harry. That was his name. He opened his muzzle. His throat worked.

"Muuum," he growled.

Lily smiled wide. "Very good love, now come on."

He followed her through the forest his clawed feet digging deep furrows in the soft ground. For the first time, he became aware of the sounds around him.

He could smell the rain approaching. A smell of wet humid air not unlike the smell of sweat soaked clothing. He could feel the tension of the approaching storm in every muscle. He could hear the small creatures scampering through the brush behind him. Glancing back, he could see a rabbit crouched in a thicket. It's beady eyes were fixed on him, whiskers twitching minutely.

He the small muscles in its back legs tensed. He bent his legs, preparing to spring on the tiny form.

"No," Lily hissed. "Leave it alone. You probably wouldn't catch it anyway. You're not used to being in control of your other form yet."

Harry growled unhappily, but followed his Mother out of the woods.

"Change back," she commanded.

Harry looked at his Mother, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness. He didn't want to change back. He was so much stronger in this form.

"Harry," Lily said warningly. "You need to change back. You can't stay in that form forever."

Harry wined, but obeyed. His body wavered. The cracking and popping of bones filled the air. Harry swayed on his feet, only his Mother's soft grip on his arm keeping him from falling.

"You're doing better," Lily said. "You can now hold off the change on the full moon and it didn't take you near as long to regain control this time."

"Thanks," Harry said stifling a yawn. "I'm just glad I didn't pass out like last time."

As they started walking back to the cottage, Harry looked up at his Mother.

"Do you think I'll be able to control myself at Hogwarts this year?"

"Oh yes," Lily said. "You'll do fine. If you need to, just hold off the change and run into the forbidden forest. Nothing in there can hurt you." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, almost nothing. Stay away from the giant spiders."

"Giant spiders?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding."

"I wish. There've been rumors about Acramantula in the forest for ages. I think that's why the forbidden forest is forbidden. I hope they don't exist, but I don't want you to get eaten."

"How big are these spiders?" Harry asked trying to sound casual.

"The largest is supposed to be about the size of a small elephant."

"Yeah, I think I'll just avoid the forest. Why don't you and I just run together?"

"That might be for the best. So long as you don't mind being seen with your old Mum that is."

"Of course not," Harry said.

Lily smiled at him. "Once you master your wolf hybrid form, we need to work on changing into your full canine form. The hybrid form is great for fighting, but not the most subtle creature around."

"I guess we'll work on that later?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah, after this year at Hogwarts. I want you to master the Hybrid form first."

As they walked into the cottage, Lily kissed Harry on the cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Mum," Harry said trudging towards his bedroom.

Lily watched him go with a soft smile on her face. It was days like this she was grateful for her time with Oberon. His death may have left a whole in her heart that had yet to heal, but it gave her Harry and she wouldn't trade him for the world.

As Harry entered his room, Lily turned and went into her own room closing the door behind her.

 _ **XXX**_

Percival poured the crushed herbs into the bowl. He watched as the mixture turned a pale blue. "Good," he muttered. "We are almost there."

He wanted to rush, but knew he couldn't afford to. He had to stay calm. One misstep and it would be the end of him and Ariana. The door swung open behind him. He turned to see his daughter coming into the underground room that served as their laboratory. He marveled at her beauty.

Her Auburn hair fell halfway down her back. There was not one blemish on her pale skin. Every feature looked as if it had been painstakingly created by one of the master sculptors of old. He saw that she had aged. Where ten years ago she'd appeared to be in her mid-teens, she now appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She smiled at her Father.

"You know, every time you stare at me like that it makes me really uncomfortable."

Percival laughed and put an arm around her. "I am just so grateful to Oberon for bringing us here. If it hadn't been for him, you would've never healed and I would've spent the rest of my life in Azkaban."

"What about Mum though? Did you tell her what was happening?"

Percival nodded. "We told her. Oberon even offered to bring her along, but she wanted to stay in the Wizarding world. Albus had just started Hogwarts when Oberon spoke to her and she didn't want to upset his life any further."

"I still wish I could've seen her before she died."

Percival nodded sadly. "Me to. I miss her so much. If I hadn't lost my temper none of this would've happened."

Ariana hugged her Father. "This was not your Fault. You were protecting me like any Father would do. Besides, if you hadn't done something, there's no telling what those boys might have done in the future."

"Still doesn't make it right," Percival said his voice trembling. "I deprived parents of their children. They were just kids and I killed them."

"No it doesn't make it right, but you have done a lot of good in the century and a half we've been here. You have become a master alchemist. You can do things with transmutation that only the great Hephaestus has managed." She gestured at the bowl. "Look at the spell you've created. That is a one way gate to the mortal world. Do you know what Aeval would give for knowledge like that."

"True, but there is a massive catch to the spell," Percival said gravely.

Ariana looked up at him, her expression apprehensive. "What sort of catch?"

"This spell is a mixture of Alchemy and magic. You have to understand that the gates to Faerie are ancient magic. They were forged in a time of tyranny and persecution by man to be used in the most dire of emergencies. When Oberon closed them, it took his lifeforce to keep them closed.

I have created a temporary gate. Nevertheless, a price must be paid. It takes life's blood to open the portal." He gestured at the blue flames in the bowl. "Only one of us will be able to pass through the gate."

"Well," a voice said from behind them. "If that is true, allow us to help you choose who will die."

Percival turned to see Aeval's new partner standing there.

"What are you doing here, Abaddon?"

Abaddon smiled, his emerald green eyes sparkling with mirth. "Aeval knew there was a traitor somewhere in her kingdom and look at who it is. You know, she suspected it would be you. She never trusted you since you used to be human and all."

Percival glared at Abaddon. "You are not getting my gate spell. Besides, this spell is one way for one person. There is no way this could benefit Aeval."

A woman stepped out from behind Abaddon, brushing her brown hair out of her face. "That is not entirely true. I am sure with enough study I could figure out how to replicate your little spell."

Ariana stared at the woman. "Your soul does not belong to your body."

The woman smirked. Her blue eyes twinkled. "That's not entirely true."

"Who are you?"

A smaller red headed woman appeared. Her red hair flew out behind her as if whipped in an unfelt breeze. Her brown eyes were cold. She stepped closer to Percival. "You will tell us what we want to know. If you don't, well, you aren't the only one that can be hurt."

Percival's blue eyes flashed. "Leave my daughter out of this?" he growled.

"Oh, we'd love to, but unfortunately, you have information we need," the redhead said. "We've been to many worlds and we won't be content to stay in this little realm. We have business in the Wizarding world. TO that end, we need that little spell of yours."

"You must be slow," Ariana snapped. "What part of no do you not understand?"

Abaddon sighed. "What is it with you people. It's not like we are asking for your first born. Just give us the spell and no one needs to get hurt."

Percival gestured at the floor. The ground rose under the redhead forming into a steep set of steps. He lashed out with a foot.

The kick struck the redhead in the face, bloodying her nose and sending her flying down the steps.

Stone spikes shot up from the floor. Abaddon lifted a hand levitating the redhead to safety.

He glared up at Percival. "I will make you suffer for that."

Percival turned back from where he was mixing more powders and liquids into the flames. Once he was done, the stairs melted back into the floor.

"Come and get me then," he challenged Abaddon.

Abaddon flung out a hand, sending five bolts of green light from his fingertips.

A crystal wall descended from above, reflecting the bolts back at their caster.

Abaddon snapped his fingers. A stone wall appeared, shattering to dust under the impact of the spells.

Percival flinched as a shard of stone opened a large gash in the right side of his face.

"First blood to you," he complimented Abaddon. "You are good."

Abaddon smiled. "So are you. It will be an honor to kill you."

Percival pointed at the crystal wall in front of him. The wall dissolved into crystal spears that flew at Abaddon's head.

Abaddon tried to dodge, but was not totally successful. One of the spears went through his right shoulder. He cried out in rage as much as pain. Blood spurted from the wound drenching his shirt.

"You may kill me, but you won't be unscathed," Percival said.

"Abaddon," the redhead said sounding worried.

"Stay back," Abaddon said. "I will finish him myself."

Grunting, he ripped the crystal spear out of his shoulder. He hurled it back at Percival, but the crystal simply vanished.

"You have obviously never fought an alchemist before. In future, try not to underestimate them. Alchemy is more than potions work you know."

"Thanks for the advice," Abaddon said, "but I'm still going to kill you."

"I know," Percival said, "but I'd rather die than betray my king."

Abaddon threw a ball of flame at Percival's head, but he dodged the flames easily.

Percival pointed to the right of Abaddon. Wooden arms appeared from nowhere. They seized Abaddon and pinned his arms to his sides.

"This is it," Percival said quietly. A slender dagger appeared in his hand. The steel glowed faintly in the darkness of the room. Drawing back his arm, he hurled the dagger at Abaddon's chest.

A slender hand snatched the dagger from the air and sent it flying back. Percival grunted as the blade entered his chest. He coughed, blood pouring from his chest. Where the blood struck the steel, it sizzled and smoked as if it were on a hot grill.

"Father," Ariana screamed.

Percival smiled at her, blood spilling from his slackening mouth. The wooden arms that held Abaddon wavered before becoming the branches of a potted plant. Percival stumbled to the bowl of blue flames. Leaning over the bowl, he jerked the blade from his chest. Dark red blood spilled into the flames.

The flames shimmered. A pulse of energy filled the room. The stone of the bowl melted and stretched. The table cracked and fell to pieces under its increased weight. The impossibly thin arch settled to the floor.

"Go," Percival grunted, gesturing at the mist filling the arch. "There is not much time. Go now."

"I can help you," Ariana sobbed.

"No you can't," Percival said his voice sounding strained. "This wound was made with iron. Had it not been a heart shot, you may be able to heal it with time. As it is, this wound is mortal and you know it. Don't let my sacrifice be in vain. Go now, find the rightful queen and the prince. Protect them. Do what you can to help them."

Hesitantly, Ariana stepped towards the arch. Behind her, she heard movement.

"No," a voice hissed.

Turning her head, she saw Abaddon back on his feet. He lunged at her, but Percival leapt in the way tackling him to the ground. He pinned Abaddon down.

"Do you know what happens to a fae when we die," he whispered in Abaddon's ear.

"No," Abaddon grunted trying to throw Percival off.

"Well you're about to find out," Percival said.

Percival's skin began to glow. Abaddon drew in a sharp breath as he felt the heat radiating from the fae pinning him to the ground.

Looking down, he saw Percival's skin had become translucent. He could see the bones that made up his skeleton, the blood flowing through his veins, and even the pierced heart beating in his chest.

"Father," Ariana watched in horror as the light emanating from her Father intensified.

"Go," Percival whispered. "Never forget that I love you."

With a last look at her Father, Ariana turned and leapt through the arch. The last thing she saw was her Father exploding in a wash of blinding blue light.

Abaddon screamed as his skin blistered. He felt his eyes exploding in his skull, running down his face like viscous tears. He still heard the crack and the rush of air as the spell collapsed. He didn't have to see to know the girl was gone.

Lifting his blackened face to the sky, he let out a primal scream of fury.

 _ **XXX**_

"No Albus," Madam Pomfrey said firmly. "This is for the best. I am not as qualified as I'd like. I have had no training in healing the fae. You need someone that knows more about them than I do."

"Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore said desperately. "You can learn what you need to know. You don't have to know everything now. Mr. Evans is the only fae in the school. Lily will be here next year. She can help you."

"You don't understand. If Lily wasn't here I'd be guessing how to heal Mr. Evans injuries. Let's face it Albus, the only reason I was able to stay this long was because we've had no fae students at Hogwarts in the past hundred years or so. If we had, I wouldn't know what to do with them. I heal wizards not fae. You need someone that can heal both."

Albus open his mouth to refute Madam Pomfrey, but was cut off by a flash of lightning in the corner of the room. Both professors turned to see a young woman materialize. She straightened up and stared around the room wildly. Seeing Dumbledore and Pomfrey, she relaxed.

"I made it," she said.

Albus stared at her. That auburn hair and those eyes. He would know those eyes anywhere. He saw them in the mirror every morning.

"Ariana?" he whispered.

"Hello Albus," the girl smiled widely. "It's been a while."

 _ **XXX**_

Half an hour later, they were all sitting around Dumbledore's enlarged desk with cups of tea. Dumbledore couldn't take his eyes off Ariana.

"I can't believe it. We never knew what happened to you. One day you were there and the next you were gone." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, Mother never seemed that worried, just sad."

Ariana nodded. "Father told her what was going on. She understood that it was the only way I would be able to live a normal life. It didn't help that Father was wanted by the Ministry of magic for escaping Azkaban and what he did to those muggles."

"How did he escape?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Lord Oberon removed him from the prison. He never agreed with the life sentence the Ministry imposed. He told my Dad he would've left him in there for a decade or two to teach him a lesson about controlling his temper, but he needed him if they were going to heal me."

"So what changed?" Dumbledore asked. "Why are you here now?"

Ariana's teacup shook in her hands. Her eyes filled with tears. Madam Pomfrey laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Take your time dear. If you don't feel like you can talk about it…"

"No," Ariana said wiping her nose. "It's not that. She took a deep breath and met Dumbledore's eyes.

"Father's dead. He died sending me here."

Dumbledore didn't move. He had expected something like this. He really didn't know how to feel. After all, he had known his Father was probably dead for a long time. Although, before his imprisonment, he had been a good man and a good Father.

Ariana looked at him sadly. "You would've approved of him. He really changed after he went to Elphame. He became a master Alchemist. He taught me to be a healer. Over the past century I'd say I've gotten pretty good at it. The fae used to come from miles around to be healed before the gates were closed. Since then, things have been quiet."

"Quiet?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "What do you mean quiet?"

"The fae may accept Aeval as queen, but they don't like it. Had she born Oberon a son, she would have a greater claim to the throne. Since she has not, they view her as a place holder, someone to warm the throne until Harry and his Mother return."

"I see," Dumbledore said. "Is that why you are here, to protect Harry?"

"To help him more than protect him. I can fight, but my main skill is healing."

Dumbledore smiled before Glancing at Madam Pomfrey. "I think we have found your successor."

He had no sooner finished speaking before Ariana was shaking her head. "I am here to aid the prince, not heal all the students. Tell you what, what if I stay and teach Pomfrey what she needs to know to treat the fae. It will give me a home and a chance to reintroduce myself to the queen and Harry." She smiled at Dumbledore. "It will also give you, Aberforth, and I a chance to catch up."

Dumbledore looked at Pomfrey. "What do you think?"

"I never wanted to leave," Madam Pomfrey said. "Hogwarts has been my home for half a century. I was only going to because I believed it was what was best for the students." She looked at Ariana. "How long will it take to train me?"

"Fae genetics are not too complicated. It's more about learning what not to do. It shouldn't take more than a year or so."

"Then I agree," Pomfrey said.

"As do I," Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling.

"Good," Ariana said. "I need to see the Minister. We need to make sure that I am legal and everything."

 _ **XXX**_

Cornelius Fudge was practically bouncing in his seat. "So you are here to heal the fae? Does that mean the gates are going to reopen?"

"I am here to aid the elven prince in any way I can," Ariana corrected gently. "As far as the gates reopening, I don't know. I wasn't privy to that information." Her delicate features twisted in a frown. "I am afraid I am not on good terms with the one who currently sits on the throne."

"I see," Fudge said distractedly. "Well I think everything is in order. You will be stationed at Hogwarts this year?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey has kindly agreed to show me the ropes when it comes to Wizarding healing."

"That seems in order," Fudge said handing her a stack of parchment. "Take these to the birth and records office. Once these are registered there, you will be set."

Ariana took the parchment. Nodding to the minister, she rose and left the office.

 _ **XXX**_

Lucius Malfoy stared at Ariana's backside as she left. Oh if she wasn't one of the fae he could have fun with her. He viewed it a stroke of good luck that he happened to be in the office when Dumbledore brought the girl in for registration. Would this interfere with his plans? Could she diagnose dark magic? As a healer he would say yes, but how well trained was she? She looked young, but with the fae that could be misleading.

He had to move on with his plan. Arthur Weasley couldn't be allowed to continue with his foolish Muggle protection act.

"What do you think, Lucius?" Fudge asked looking up from a stack of parchment.

"I think things are going to be very interesting," Lucius said.

XXX

Aeval glared at Abaddon. "What do you mean she escaped? How is that even possible?"

Abaddon rubbed his healing face. The new skin was tender. The slightest touch made him wince. "Percival had created a gate," he growled. He stared at Aeval accusingly. "I didn't even know he had that kind of skill."

"You didn't know because I didn't know," Aeval said. "I should've paid more attention to the people Oberon brought in here over the past few centuries. Had I only known, we may have been able to modify his spell to create a stable gate."

"I don't think he would've helped you willingly," the redhead said striding into the room. She dropped the remains of the arch onto the floor before Aeval.

Aeval glared down at the broken stone. "There are ways to make someone help you."

She picked up a piece of stone and rubbed it between her fingers. She looked up at Abaddon. "There is still residual magic in this. Tell me, how good are you at soul magic?"

Abaddon grinned. "I won't create Horcruxes, but I am adept at using other people's souls to accomplish my goals."

The redhead slipped an arm around his waist. "They also make such an excellent source of power."

Abaddon kissed the top of her head. "That they do, my love, that they do."

"Good," Aeval said. "Here's what we're going to do."

 _ **XXX**_

Harry collapsed into a chair wiping sweat from his forehead.

"How did it go," Lily asked looking up from the book she was reading.

"Terrible," Harry muttered. "I think Bloodwind is trying to kill me."

Lily chuckled. "You heal almost instantaneously. So long as he doesn't use silver against you, I seriously doubt he can harm you."

"Easy for you to say," Harry grumbled. "You aren't having sessions with the trainer from hell."

"I don't remember you complaining this much last summer," Lily teased.

"Last summer I wasn't on a time limit. I only have a month before we start Hogwarts. I know I need to train, but I kind of want to have time to spend with Hermione and Ginny before we leave."

Lily's smile faded. "I am sorry for this. I just want to make sure you're prepared."

"I know. I don't mean to complain it just gets boring sometimes. It's the same stuff over and over again. I guess I just want a change of pace."

"Well, we are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow," Lily said. "You can catch up with Hermione and Ginny then."

Harry smiled. "That's great, but isn't it a little early? Hogwarts doesn't start for a month."

"I'd rather get what you need early and not have to rush around at the last minute. Now go wash up, dinner will be ready in a few moments."

Harry rose from the table and headed towards the door.

"Harry?" Lily called when he reached the door.

Harry stopped. "Yeah?"

"Have you had any luck forging Elven blades?"

"No, Bloodwind is trying to find one to study, but surprisingly, there aren't a lot of those in the Wizarding world. The few families that have them aren't willing to let us study them."

"I'll see if I can make contact with your Father. Maybe he knows where to find one."

"That would be great. If you make contact, say hi for me. I haven't seen him since I fought Voldemort."

"I will," Lily said.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry stared down the endless street of Diagon Alley. He wondered and not for the first time, if Diagon Alley was in some sort of pocket dimension. It seemed impossible that the Wizards could use this much space on earth without anyone noticing.

"What you thinking about?" Lily asked.

"Just wondering how they hide this much space from nonmagicals."

Lily shrugged. "No clue. We'll have to ask your Dad, maybe he'll know."

"Where are we going first?" Ginny asked.

"Let's refill your potions ingredients first."

"Why not go by the bookstore first?" Hermione asked.

Lily winced. "Let's just say I'm trying to avoid someone."

Entering the Apothecary, Harry coughed and tried to surreptitiously cover his nose.

Lily patted his shoulder. "Relax," she said quietly. "You'll get used to it."

"I never noticed it was this bad before," Harry wheezed.

"You've spent a lot of time in your shifted form," Lily said. "Your senses are going to be sharper than they were before."

"Can we hurry up and get out of here," harry grumbled.

Hermione and Ginny giggled. Lily's lips twitched.

"Sure, come on." They hurried through the store, grabbing what they needed. As they exited the store, Harry took a deep breath of the air outside.

"I don't get it," he said turning to his Mother. "Why isn't it so overwhelming out here."

"You're in an open space," Lily explained. "The apothecary is enclosed. It is a shock to the system when entering an enclosed place like that."

They picked up parchment and quills. Lily stopped outside a pet store, looking at the three.

"It says you can have an owl, cat, or toad as a pet. Do you want to pick one up now?"

Harry and the girls shook their heads. "Maybe next year," Hermione said speaking for all of them. "We don't know if we'll stay at Hogwarts or not."

Lily nodded and turned away from the pet store. With a sigh, she looked down at the list. "Come on, let's go to Flourish and Blots."

"Why do you seem so reluctant," Hermione asked.

"You'll see," Lily said grimacing.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry leapt backwards with a snarl as a group of witches nearly knocked him over.

"What's going on?" he grumbled.

"It's Gilderoy Lockhart," Hermione squealed pointing at a poster hanging above the door. The poster showed a man with blond hair smiling down at them. "He's had so many adventures."

"Yeah," Lily muttered. "Woohoo, great."

Harry strained to see over the heads of the crowd. He just caught a glimpse of a handsome man with blond hair, blue eyes, and perfect white teeth.

He leaned closer to his Mother. "Does he use hair care products? If looks are anything to go by, he spends more time on his hair than you do."

Lily grinned. "If he does, it wouldn't surprise me. Unfortunately, you have to buy his books for this year, so this probably won't be the last time you see him."

"Lockhart's voice suddenly carried over the crowd. "It can't be Neville Longbottom."

The shop got very quiet before the crowd surged forward. Harry caught a glimpse of Lockhart standing with his arm around Neville, smiling widely.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said raising his voice to be heard over the babble of the crowd. "I want to take this time to give Neville Longbottom here a full set of my books free of charge. Furthermore, he along with his fellow students, will receive the honor of me teaching their Defense against the Dark Arts class this year."

"Told you," Lily said. "Come on, we need to get your books."

They hurried through the store, Hermione babbling all the way.

"I can't believe it. The Gilderoy Lockhart. Imagine what we can learn from him."

"I hope I'm wrong, but I don't know that you'll be learning anything from him."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked looking up at Lily.

"It's just we have no proof of anything he's done. We have no pictures and no witnesses. All we have is his word that anything has happened. Everything he's done has happened outside the country, so there is no way to corroborate anything. I'd think if he's done half of what he says, the Daily Prophet would've reported on it, but they haven't."

Hermione was silent as they approached the counter. "SO you think he's fake."

"Not for sure," Lily said, "but I am suspicious. Just keep an open mind, alright?"

They paid for their books and turned to leave. Ginny stumbled and dropped her books.

"Watch where you are going," Lucius Malfoy said bending down and picking up one of Ginny's books.

Ginny quickly gathered up the rest of her books and took the book from Lucius. "I'm sorry," she said.

Lucius sneered and walked away.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Lily said.

 _ **XXX**_

Lucius watched the youngest Weasley leave the bookstore. This would kill two birds with one stone. Once his precious daughter purged the school of Muggle-borns Arthur Weasley's Muggle protection act would be no more.

Smiling to himself, he left Flourish and Blots to meet up with his wife and son. Today had been very productive. All he had to do now was be patient.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve**_

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione stood on the platform of Hogsmede station. All three looked up at the setting sun hanging low in the sky.

"You know," Harry began. "That train ride was oddly uneventful."

"Your right," Ginny said. "We didn't see Neville anywhere."

"First years," a giant of a man called. "First years over here."

Harry glanced in that direction. The man gestured at him. "That means you three to. It's tradition you know. First timers to Hogwarts ride the boats."

Shrugging, Harry and the others followed the giant down a path. The branches of the trees overhead created a canopy that blocked most of the light giving the path a cave-like appearance. There were no leaves underfoot, just hard earth and fresh green grass.

Breasting a hill, they saw a fleet of small wooden boats tied to a wooden dock. The giant looked back at them.

"No more than four to a boat," he said.

The students clambered into the boats. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione ended up sharing their boat with a girl with dirty blond hair and silvery blue eyes. The girl stared at Harry and Ginny.

"Harry, Ginevra," she said her soft voice ringing like the chiming of bells.

"Luna," Ginny said smiling widely. "How have you been?"

"Very well," Luna said. She stared at Harry. "When you see your Father again, tell him thank you."

"I will, but why?" Harry said uncomfortably.

Luna smiled serenely. "He saved my Mother's life."

"How do you know my name?" Harry asked. "Ginny's told me about you, but we've never officially met."

"I know people," Luna said simply. She turned away and began staring at the water, waving her hands in patterns that made no sense to the others riding in the boat. Harry looked at the other two.

"Do you have any idea what that was about?"

"When Luna and I were nine, there was an accident. Mrs. Lovegood was doing something with a spell that went horribly wrong. Luna was there and saw it happen. She and her Mum barely escaped with their lives. Apparently, your Dad helped somehow."

Before Harry could ask any questions, the giant spoke up.

"You'll get your first sight of Hogwarts in a minute."

Harry watched as they went around a bend and the castle came into view. The magic of the wards washed over him as if welcoming him home. He could feel the ley lines around the castle surging to meet him as if curious about the newcomer. His head fell back and his eyes closed as the power rushed into him.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked touching his arm.

"Yeah," Harry groaned. "It's just a bit overwhelming. I never knew there was so much power here. I mean I'm used to being aware of all the ley lines by now, but I've never seen lines this big. These ley lines stretch for miles."

Luna nodded. "I imagine you could bypass the wards if you chose." She looked at Harry seriously. "You do know there is a node underneath the school don't you?"

"Node?" Hermione asked.

"A place where two or more ley lines join," Harry said.

The boats stopped as they bumped against the dock effectively stopping their conversation.

"Everyone out," the giant yelled.

Slipping and sliding, the new students climbed out of the boats. Making their way up a long set of steps, they approached a heavy oak door.

The giant raised one massive fist and knocked three times.

Professor McGonagall opened the door and nodded to the giant. "Ah, the first years. Thank you Hagrid."

Hagrid inclined his head respectfully. "You're welcome Professor McGonagall."

McGonagall ushered the new students inside. Hagrid followed closing the door behind them. Harry watched the giant enter the Great Hall on their right. McGonagall led them into a side chamber.

"You will wait here until we are ready for you," she told them. "I suggest you take the time to straighten yourselves up."

Without another word, McGonagall slipped out of the room. Harry looked around at the sea of scared faces.

"How do you think we'll be sorted?" a small boy asked.

"I heard it was something painful," another piped up.

"It's not," Harry said.

"How do you know?" the boy snapped.

"What would be the point in torturing us?"

"Maybe to see how many of us can deal with pain."

Harry shook his head. "They're not going to torture us."

"Maybe we'll be expected to perform some really difficult bit of magic," a girl said.

"No," Luna said in her dreamy tone. The girl glared at her.

"It could be that way. Maybe we'll be expected to transfigure something."

"How much magic do most of you know?" Luna asked.

The girl was suddenly very quiet. She glared at Luna, but didn't say anything else.

Luna nodded. "So it can't be magic."

"So what kind of test could it be?" the girl wondered aloud.

Luna smiled knowingly. "Oh I don't think it'll be anything too difficult."

Before anyone could ask what she was talking about, McGonagall reentered the room.

"We are ready for you now," she said. "Please follow me."

The group of new students entered the hall. Looking around, Harry saw two tables on the left and two tables on the right. At the top of the hall was a raised dais where the teachers sat at a large round table.

"It's like the legends of King Arthur,' Harry said gesturing at the head table.

"I imagine that is where they got the idea," Hermione responded. "If Merlin had been alive in this time period, what house do you think he would've been sorted into?"

"Slytherin," Luna said firmly.

The other three looked at her, but didn't have a chance to say anything.

"That's enough chatting," McGonagall said placing a three legged stool in front of the group. On the stool she sat a battered old Wizard's hat. The hat was ripped and torn as if it had been through a war. A large rip opened near the brim like a mouth and the hat began to sing.

"A thousand years or more ago when I was newly sown, there was a race that helped build this school that is no longer well known.

This race was healers, warriors, and poets, although many did not know it.

They aided fair Ravenclaw, the wisest witch to wear a crown. They trained kind Hufflepuff, the Mother of all around. They watched cunning Slytherin, who was sly as a snake and made the school quake. They stood at the side of Gryffindor, the bravest of the Hogwarts four.

For centuries they were with us, until a king was slain. With his death the faith in that race has begun to wane. Now the gates are closed and we are alone to deal with our mistakes. Those must be corrected before it is too late.

Here my warning and here it well. Stand as one, stand united, lest we are all dragged to hell."

The hall sat silent for several moments. Slowly, the students began to clap. Harry noticed that most of the pure-bloods were staring at him.

"Has anyone heard the hat talk like that?" he asked Ginny.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't think so. It was a bit creepy if you ask me. I mean lest we are all dragged to hell? Sounds more than a bit ominous, don't it?"

Professor McGonagall stepped to the front of the hall and unrolled a scroll. "When I call your name, you will come up here and put on the hat."

Harry tuned her out, until he heard his name.

"Evans, Harry," she called.

Harry walked calmly up to the stool and sat down. The hat was placed on his head. As it covered his eyes, he heard a small voice in his ear.

'Ah, I wondered when I'd be seeing you. Welcome to Hogwarts, young prince.'

'Thank you,' Harry responded.

'Now, where do I put you,' the hat murmured. 'Yes, there is bravery, but it is not your strongest trait. You are loyal, but only to those that earn your trust. There is only one place for you.'

"Ravenclaw," the hat shouted.

Harry joined the table on the far left, smiling happily. In a few moments, Hermione Granger became a Ravenclaw as well. She came over to the table and sat down across from him.

"Well done," Harry murmured.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks."

After an interminable wait, he heard Luna Lovegood being called. Within seconds, the little blond plopped into the seat next to him.

"Good job," he said.

Luna smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, Ginny will make it here."

Sure enough, when Weasley Ginny was called, she almost immediately became a Ravenclaw. Hurrying to the table, she plopped down on Harry's other side.

"The hat wanted to put me in Gryffindor," she whispered.

"I see you managed to dissuade it of that idea."

Ginny's lips twitched. "It's amazing what threats of a fire can do."

There talk was interrupted as Dumbledore stood up.

"Tuck in," he said spreading his arms.

As the table filled with food, Ginny sighed. "Finally."

"The way to a girl's heart is through her stomach," Harry muttered.

"Not all girls, just mine," Ginny said piling roast beef onto her plate.

"Good to know," Harry said.

As they ate, Harry noticed people shooting him furtive glances.

"I wish everyone would stop staring," he muttered.

"The hat did mention you indirectly," Hermione pointed out.

"I know," Harry grumbled.

As desserts were appearing, there was a deafening crash from outside.

Harry saw Professor McGonagall rise from the head Table and leave the hall.

"What was that all about?" Hermione wondered.

"Something hit a tree outside," Luna said unexpectedly. "The tree isn't very happy."

They all stared at her, but she just scooped up another helping of pudding. When the plates were cleared of the last scrap of food, Dumbledore stood.

"I just have a few words for you before we head to bed.

First, I'd like to welcome Gilderoy Lockhart as our new Defense against the Dark arts teacher."

There was a smattering of polite applause. Gilderoy stood up, waving enthusiastically.

"Second, I'd like to welcome our new Apprentice Healer, Ariana."

A beautiful Auburn haired girl waved, but made no move to stand.

"Lastly, I'd like to welcome our new Charms Professor, Lily Evans."

Lily waved to the students, but like Ariana, did not stand.

"Now that the staff changes are announced, there are two more announcements. The forbidden forest is forbidden as its name suggests and our caretaker Mr. Filch has informed me that the list of band items is now up to one hundred and fifty. Anyone wishing to see that list can visit Filch's office."

Dumbledore gestured at the doors. "I think that is everything. Off to bed you go, chop chop."

As the students stood, accompanied by a deafening scrape of chairs, Harry saw a tall girl with brown hair gesturing at them.

"First years," she called. "Follow me please."

Harry and the others followed her down halls and up staircases. They approached a door with a knocker in the shape of an eagle.

The girl took the knocker and wrapped smartly on the door. The wooden eagle opened its beak.

"When is a door not a door?" it croaked.

"When it's a jar," the girl said.

"Correct," the eagle said. The door swung open and the girl led the way into the common room.

Harry had just enough awareness to see the girl point in the directions of the dormitories. Wishing the girls goodnight, Harry made his way to his dorm room, changed into pajamas and collapsed into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

 _ **XXX**_

Hunger. That was all he'd felt since being forced into this accursed book. He didn't know. He never realized what he had created. This pseudo soul had become so much more than he'd intended. It was if not strictly alive, at least sentient. It was getting worse. The girl had written in the diary several times now. Each time he'd had to force himself not to respond. Each time it became harder and harder not to give in to the urge to absorb her life.

It was true he'd tried to kill the Evans boy, but this was different. For the first time, he was being tempted to take a life for no other reason than to restore his own. That was all it would take. With his soul merged with the pseudo soul inside the diary, he could do it. One life and he would be restored to his prime. More than that, he would be restored to his own body. All he had to do was respond one time and the process would begin, but once started, it could not be stopped. He would be as tightly bound by the magic in the diary as she would.

"But maybe… He knew the intent of Lucius Malfoy. The man wanted Arthur Weasley's daughter to be the one to interact the programing. He may not be able to stop from taking her life, but he could protect her innocence.

He felt the tug on his consciousness as the girl began to write. She wrote of her love for her friends, her hope for the future, and her time at Hogwarts. As the ink began to dry on the page. Voldemort, once known as Tom Riddle, couldn't take it anymore. He reached out, and responded to Ginny's call.

It was easy, too easy. The magic wanted to respond. It flashed out, the compulsion built into the book sinking into her mind like a fishhook. At the last moment, he changed the spell from a compulsion spell. She would no longer be compelled to follow the books programing. She was simply compelled not to speak of the book.

He felt her surprise as the ink sank into the page. He reached out, sending his mind through the new link and wrote back.

'Hello Ginny, my name is Tom. How are you?'

 _ **XXX**_

The first morning of classes was boring for Harry. Turning buttons into beadles was simple for all of them. McGonagall gave the three a knowing look and a rare smile.

Next, they went to Charms. Lily set them the task of conjuring water. As water flowed out of the air filling a glass, Harry noticed the class glaring at them.

"Show off," someone muttered.

"Hey," Harry snapped. "Mum never got me a wand. I had to learn this way. Honestly, I like not using a wand. At least I can't be disarmed."

"Why didn't you get him a wand?" Luna asked quietly.

"Because wands are a crutch," Lily said. "They were never meant to be used as your primary tool for channeling your magic. In old times they were meant to be an aid for young witches and wizards. It was away for them to learn to focus on the result they desired."

"And I suppose the fae told you this," A dark haired boy snapped.

Lily looked at him calmly. "Yes, I found it out while I was in Elphame. The fae kept records of things like that. They wanted to be sure what they were sending their stunted children into."

The fae can't use wands you see. Their magic is not able to be channeled through a wand."

"SO some of the most powerful witches and wizards have fae blood?" Luna said.

"Some, but not all. Wizards and witches aren't human. They are unique creatures able to breed with humans and have wizards and witches most of the time. The fae tried to breed that trait into their lines. A gene that dominant would've come in handy. It was a secondary reason they chose to aid wizards in their inbreeding problem, but alas, it didn't go as planned. Any time the fae tried breeding with humans, the child died in their twenties. The energies contained in a fae body simply burned them up."

Lily was quiet for a moment. She jerked suddenly as if coming out of a fog. "We were talking about wands, not breeding. I sorry for getting off topic."

"Can we learn to use magic without a wand?" a small girl asked.

"I don't know. If not, you can at least decrease the size of your foci."

The rest of the lesson passed quietly enough. As the class began filing out, Harry hung back. "That was a good lesson Mum," he whispered, "but why the lesson on wands and stuff."

Lily shuffled some papers on her desk. "They need to know. I'm hoping to get them thinking. Don't forget that a lot of wizards have fae blood. That means that we are responsible for them. Because of that, I'm trying to help the children think outside the box a bit."

"You don't want this generation to be as handicapped as the previous one."

"Right," Lily said with a smile. "Now get out of here, you have Herbology to get to."

 _ **XXX**_

An hour later, Harry and the others were entering the Great Hall. They sat down at the Ravenclaw table and began piling food on their plates.

"Really glad she had us work with the Mandrakes as our final exam," Harry said wiping sweat from his forehead.

"I still don't think that's safe," Hermione said. "I mean really, letting students work with something that could knock you out. What if they had a particularly potent Mandrake?"

"I can see your point, but they don't let us work with the adults and as long as our earmuffs are on correctly, we shouldn't have a problem."

 _ **XXX**_

After lunch, they made their way to the Defense classroom. The walls were covered with pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart. As they entered, all the pictures waved.

"Someone is a narcissist," Harry muttered.

Hermione scowled. "He just wants to show us his accomplishments."

"Right," Harry said sarcastically. "If that's true, why aren't the pictures of him fighting dark creatures?"

As they sat down, Gilderoy came striding in. He stood at the front of the classroom, smiling at all of them.

"Me," he said holding up one of his books. "Gilderoy Lockhart, five time winner of Witch weekly's best smile award, honorary member of the Dark Forces defense league, and endorser of Hana's hair care products, but I don't talk about that. I didn't beat the vanishing vampire by throwing hair jell on him."

He waited for several moments, as if expecting a laugh or applause or something, but no one said anything.

"Right then," he said. "We're going to have a little quiz." He began passing out parchment. Harry looked down at his list.

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?

What does Gilderoy Lockhart fear?

How many times has Gilderoy Lockhart been in mortal peril?

Harry flipped through the parchment, until he saw the last question.

54\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's fondest wish?

Harry raised his hand. "Excuse me sir, but what is the purpose of this quiz? It doesn't appear to have anything to do with Defense against the Dark Arts."

Gilderoy smiled at him condescendingly. "My dear boy, just because you can't see the purpose of the quiz doesn't mean there isn't one."

Harry rolled his eyes and set to work. Half an hour later, Lockhart took up the papers and riffled through them.

"All in all, very well written," he said smiling again. "I can see why you are all Ravenclaws. Now, I had some pixies, but err, they flew away."

Harry noticed that Lockhart's cheeks had turned pink. "So, instead of the practical, I'll just tell you how I defeated the Wagga wagga werewolf. DO I have any volunteers to help with the demonstration?"

XXX

An hour later, they left the classroom. Harry's face was glowing. "That was embarrassing."

"I don't know," Ginny said. "When your eyes started glowing and you growled at him, that was pretty funny. I thought for sure he was going to wet himself."

"That wasn't very nice," Hermione said. "I mean he is our professor after all."

"I don't think he's much of a professor," Luna said. "All of the questions on his test were about his personal preferences. I think he has racksperts in his head."

"No," Harry said seriously. "They group together where there's a lot of earwax."

Luna smiled. "That is true, but it could be the Sparksnaps."

"His head didn't explode," Harry said. "That's how they breed you know by laying eggs in the hosts head."

"You two are joking, right?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at her, his expression blank. "I wish."

 _ **XXX**_

For the next two months, everything went smoothly. The school was quiet, the lessons were easy, and Harry and the others were able to get a vacation.

Unfortunately, Harry's shifter training wasn't going as well. He was still having trouble controlling his wolf.

"Well the Acramantula are going to be pissed," Lily sighed as Harry dropped a small spider the size of a house cat.

Harry's jaws split in a wolfish grin. His tongue lolled out of his mouth.

"Turn back," Lily sighed rubbing her forehead.

Harry's body shimmered and he shifted back into human form. He looked down at the dead spider and grimaced.

"Did that thing come onto the grounds or did we go into the forest." He looked around at the Black Lake a few feet behind them. "Never mind."

"They're not supposed to be on the grounds," Lily said snapping her fingers. The spider burst into flames. Within seconds, it had been reduced to ash.

"What are we going to do?"

"Dumbledore needs to be made aware of this," Lily said. "If the spiders are getting bolder then that's going to be a problem." She ran a hand through her hair. "If it isn't one thing, it's another."

"I'll come with you," Harry said.

As they walked back to the castle, Harry looked at his Mother. "I seem to have hit an impasse."

"Don't worry," Lily said. "We'll figure out something. You can at least keep yourself from attacking people now which is what I wanted."

Harry nodded. "Still, I feel like there's untapped potential there. I feel like there's a well of power inside me just waiting to be tapped."

"Eloquent," Lily said with a chuckle. "I'll talk to your Dad. Maybe this is a common issue for hybrids."

"Can you even contact him?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes," Lily said. "I've found a way to pull him out of Limbo, for short periods anyway."

As they entered the school, they were both surprised to see Dumbledore waiting for them.

"What has happened? The wards alerted me that something dangerous had entered the grounds."

"Acramantula," Lily said briskly. "It came onto the grounds while I was training Harry."

"Where is it now?"

"Dead," Lily said shortly.

Dumbledore nodded. "As much as I hate taking a life, I cannot let my personal feelings endanger the students. Well done, Lily."

"Thank you headmaster," Lily said. She decided to let Dumbledore think it was her that slew the Acramantula. She didn't know how he'd react if he found out it was Harry."

"I'll have to send for a team from the MPC."

"MPC?" Harry asked.

"Magical pest control."

"Pardon me sir, but this isn't a mouse infestation. We're living with a colony of giant spider's right beside the school. I think we'll need a little something stronger than pest control."

Dumbledore smiled. "I wouldn't worry about that. Although, I think we'll wait until it gets a little cooler. The spiders should be a bit more sluggish by then."

"You're the boss," Lily said, "but how are we going to protect the students?"

"They should be safe until dark," Dumbledore said. "I'll send a teacher to sit with them when Quidditch practice starts to be safe."

"If that's decided," Harry said. "I need to get back to the common room."

"Yes you do," Lily said. "Goodnight," she kissed his cheek.

"Muuum," Harry groaned causing Lily to giggle.

"Goodnight professor," Lily said.

"Goodnight to you both," Dumbledore said.

 _ **XXX**_

On Halloween morning, Harry watched the MPC operatives enter the forest.

"Are those flame throwers?" Hermione asked.

"Looks like it," Harry said. "I guess Dumbledore was right. They just might be able to handle the Acramantula."

The rest of the day was filled with screams and an enraged clicking coming from the forest. At sunset, just before the Halloween feast, the MPC officers exited the forest, their robes torn and bloody.

Dumbledore accepted their bill without batting an eye. After paying them, he asked if they'd like to have a Hogwarts feast with the students.

"If it's all the same to you sir," said a heavyweight man with thinning grey hair. "I think my men and I would like to go home. It's been a long day."

"I quite understand," Dumbledore said.

 _ **XXX**_

The feast was just as wonderful as last year. Live bats flew around the ceiling. Skeletons served them food, and a Jack-O-lantern came floating through the hall, orange flames dancing in the holes that served it as eyes. Its wide gash of a mouth had been carved in a sinister grin.

"Where's Ginny?" Luna said sitting down.

"She said she wasn't feeling well."

"I do hope she's alright," the other girls chorused.

After the feast was over they were all on their way back to the common room. Suddenly, Luna, who was walking in front of Harry, stopped dead.

"What is it," Harry asked walking up beside her.

"Look," Luna said pointing an unsteady finger at the cat hanging head down from a torch bracket on the wall.

"What's going on," Filch, the caretaker said. When he saw the cat, he froze. "My cat," he screamed. He spun around, his bulging eyes immediately landed on Harry.

"You," he bellowed lunging at Harry. "I'll kill you half-breed."

"Argus," Dumbledore snapped. "You will not harm the students. I've warned you about that time and time again."

"Look what they did to my cat," Filch bellowed.

"No student could do this," Dumbledore said removing the cat from the bracket. He turned to Harry. "Why don't you three get back to the common room."

Harry nodded and led Luna and Hermione away.

"I want them punished," Filch said.

"Argus," Dumbledore said. "Come with me, now."

 _ **XXX**_

Dumbledore leaned back from examining the cat. Taking off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Well Albus?" Lily asked.

"One moment," Dumbledore said. He stared at Filch, his blue eyes cold.

"I've warned you over and over to control your temper. This was the last straw. If I hadn't stopped you, you would've attacked Mr. Evans. Consider your position terminated. You can stay until the end of the year, but then I want you gone."

"Mrs. Norris," Filch whimpered.

"Your cat has been petrified," Dumbledore said sternly. "It isn't dead and we'll be able to cure her. That is why I'm allowing you to stay until the end of the year. If there was a place to buy Mandrakes, I'd cure her now and send you on your way. Unfortunately, Mandrakes don't do well in sipping crates."

"Petrified," McGonagall broke in. "What could've caused a cat to be petrified?"

Dumbledore looked down at the motionless cat for several moments. "I've seen this before," he said quietly.

"What happened?" Lily asked. "Was it in the war with Grindelwald?"

"No," Dumbledore said heavily. "It was at Hogwarts. I am afraid this means the Chamber of Secrets has been opened once again."

 _ **XXX**_

Ginny woke in the middle of the night. She struggled to move, but she was so tired. It was all she could do to turn her head. Why was she so weak? What was happening to her. She didn't have much time to dwell on this before sleep claimed her again.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort reveled in the life flowing through him. He could feel strength and vitality returning to his spirit. This process would work much faster than the original programming. He could actually leave the diary for short periods to complete the programming. True, it would render the Weasley girl in a comatose state after a while before killing her, but at least she wouldn't be responsible for the death of her fellow students.

This was getting easier. He would mourn the lives that were lost, but they were necessary sacrifices for the safety of the Wizarding race.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

"The chamber of secrets?" Lily said. "I thought that was a myth."

"No," Dumbledore said. "It was opened fifty years ago when I was a young professor. There were several attacks, culminating in a girl's death. We thought the school was going to be closed until Hagrid was expelled. The culprit framed Hagrid and everyone was satisfied."

"Well," Gilderoy said. "Begging your pardon Headmaster, but how do you know it wasn't Hagrid? From what I've heard, he had a habit of keeping dangerous creatures like werewolf cubs underneath his bed."

"Because the creature he kept did not have the power to petrify. As a matter-of-fact, Hagrid told me that it was scared of whatever was in the school."

Lily looked at the old Headmaster suspiciously. "Wait a moment," she began slowly. "You don't deny that he kept dangerous creatures, but you said that it wasn't this dangerous creature."

"Hagrid would never intentionally hurt anyone."

"Hagrid doesn't have a healthy idea of dangerous," Lily said staring at Dumbledore. Her green eyes were glowing and her face was subtly wrong. It was longer than it should've been. Her mouth was slightly extended from the rest of her face and her teeth were noticeably sharper. "You knew didn't you?"

"What I may or may not know is not for this discussion," Dumbledore said firmly. "Right now, we need to decide what to do about the Chamber of Secrets."

"We should close the school," Lily said firmly. "The aurors can do a full investigation."

"The aurors never found anything when they investigated fifty years ago," Dumbledore explained patiently. "If we close the school, there is a good chance it will never open again."

"The safety of the Students needs to be considered," Lily said.

"It's only a cat right now," Gilderoy said. "Why don't we wait and see what happens. I mean…" He broke off as Filch glared at him.

"I've already been fired," Filch said. "Maybe I ought to give Dumbledore a reason to terminate me. It may be just a cat to you, but she has been my only friend for all these years."

Lockhart was silent. He stared down at his hands. His cheeks tinged a faint pink.

"No," Dumbledore said firmly. "We are not closing the school. I will investigate and see if I can't find anything that can lead us to the chamber."

"I will help as well," Lockhart said. "With too masters of magic, I'm sure we can find out what we need to know."

Lily opened her mouth to protest, but she didn't even get a word out before Dumbledore interrupted.

"Some Headmasters wouldn't let you teach here because you are a Wolfshifter. You may not be a lycanthrope, but you are for all intents and purposes a werewolf. We have to find out what has happened. If the chamber is opening again, I believe that someone is being forced to open it. If that is the case, closing the school could endanger their lives or the rest of Wizarding Britain."

Lily sat back in her chair. Dumbledore was right. If the chamber was opened, what would happen if the person being forced to open it couldn't find any prey? Would whatever lurked in the chamber attack Hogsmeade or Muggle London?"

"You're right," Lily said. "It is better to make a stand here, but why not use ourselves as bate for the monster? We could send the students home and…"

"No," Dumbledore said. "Whatever dark magic is being used to open the chamber, it is most likely controlling one of the students. Sending them home would only cause the outcome I fear."

"Why not search their belongings," Filch said. "I imagine that we could find whatever it is controlling one of the little brats."

"What excuse would you use?" Dumbledore said. "The elves would have to be told exactly what to look for. Besides, what might the controlled do once they found out the object was missing?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Filch," Lily said. "If we destroy the object opening the chamber, it should sever the control it has on the student."

"There are too many unknown variables," Dumbledore said. "We wait. That is my final word on the matter. Now, I suggest we all go to bed."

 _ **XXX**_

Lily looked across her desk at Harry, Ginny, and Hermione. She noticed that Ginny was unhealthily pale. Her skin was almost waxy and her eyes were bright and feverish. She swayed unsteadily in her chair. Her head dropped to her chest before she jerked upright.

"Ginny," she said softly. "Are you alright?"

Ginny's head jerked up. "Yes," she said slowly. "I," she yawned hugely. "I'm just so tired for some reason."

Lily studied her for several seconds. "I think you need to go see Madam Pomfrey."

"I will if I'm not better in a few days," Ginny said. She straightened up with an effort and gave Lily her full attention. "What's happened?"

Lily swiftly explained about the Chamber of Secrets and how Dumbledore feared it was open again. "I think it would be best if you three came to stay in my quarters. I know you wanted to try living as normal students, but your safety is my main concern."

Harry and Hermione both nodded, but Ginny appeared troubled. After a few seconds, she nodded as well. "When do you want us to move?" she asked.

"Tonight," Lily said.

Harry stood. "Come on," he said. "We'd better move our things."

Ginny stopped at the door. "Can Luna come? I don't want to leave her alone."

"Of course, we've got more than enough room."

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort scowled in his prison. This was going to make things so much more complicated. He couldn't afford to take that much energy from the Weasley girl again, but he needed life energy to complete his task. Where was he going to find the energy he needed if not from his host?

He would have to find an alternate source of power or choose his time to steal energy from Ginny a lot more carefully. His thoughts drifted to the squib caretaker. His life-force would definitely make him stronger, but how to get him? There would be time to think of that in the future.

For now, he would have to bide his time. He would have to choose his targets carefully, but his mission would be successful. The Evans boy would die and he would get his body restored.

 _ **XXX**_

Neville confronted Harry the next morning. He was followed by a boy with silvery blond hair and steel grey eyes.

"Heard you moved out of the Ravenclaw dorm, Evans. What's the matter? Think you're too good to stay in dorms like the rest of us or did you just miss Mummy too much?"

Harry ground his teeth. His golden green eyes began to glow. "Stay out of this Longbottom," he growled.

"Or what?" the blond boy said. "Are you going to call your Mum?"

Blue light flared around harry, forming into golden runes. The runes hung on the air, unsupported, blazing with barely restrained power.

Neville and Malfoy took a step back, looking nervous.

"Back off," Harry said. "Leave me alone, or suffer the consequences."

"This isn't over," Neville said. He turned and stalked away, followed by the blond boy.

"That was good restraint," Ginny said, "but you know it's not over."

"It never is," Harry said sounding tired. "There's always going to be Longbottoms and Malfoys trying to torment us. I suppose I should get used to it by now." He looked down the hallway not really seeing anything. "It's because of people like them I never had a real childhood."

"It's alright," Ginny said. "We'll figure out what's going on and everything will work out."

"For now," Harry said, "but how long can we keep fighting Aeval? "Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like? Am I going to constantly be looking over my shoulder for the next attack?"

Ginny and Hermione said nothing. They just followed Harry to their next class in silence.

XXX

Over the next month, everything was quiet. The petrification of Filch's cat was nearly forgotten. November slowly progressed towards December. The Black Lake froze and snow flurries began to occur on regular occasions. Quidditch season was starting up and the excitement around the school was palpable. Ravenclaw had already beaten Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor verses Slytherin match was right around the corner.

"Why didn't you try out for our house team?" Ginny asked. "You'd probably be really good."

"Nah," Harry said. "I'd rather fly with a fae artifact and I don't think they'd allow that."

Ginny shook her head. "You should try flying on a broom. It's fun. You'd probably like it."

"NO thanks," Hermione said. "I'll keep my feet on the ground."

"And I have better control with a fae artifact,' Harry said. "I'd rather put my faith in something I know rather than something I've never tried."

"And I like flying with the pixies," Luna said.

Ginny pouted. "You three don't know what you're missing."

 _ **XXX**_

The Gryffindor verses Slytherin match was a disaster for the Gryffindors. Draco Malfoy was the seeker for the Slytherin team and his Father had purchased new brooms for the entire team.

To make matters worse, Neville was the seeker for Gryffindor and he had no ability to fly whatsoever. The highlight, or more specifically lowlight, of the match was Neville lunging forward, grabbing the snitch, and then falling off his broom while still fifty feet in the air. Only Dumbledore's quick action saved him from being badly injured. As it was, thanks to an inept Lockhart, he still got all the bones in his right arm removed before being taken to the hospital wing.

 _ **XXX**_

"We really need to do something about him," Lily said taking a sip of her tea.

"I'm open to suggestions," Dumbledore said. "Unfortunately, he was the only one to apply for the Defense job. Now, you didn't come to talk to me about Professor Lockhart. What did you really want to talk about?"

"It's Ginny," Lily said. "Something is really wrong. She's sleeping a lot more than usual. She's as white as a sheet and her magic isn't as strong as it used to be. I made her go and see Madam Pomfrey, but Pomfrey nor Ariana found anything beyond magical exhaustion. Ariana was able to perform a ley line trick to recharge her and for a while that seemed to work, but she's beginning to slow down again. It's almost like something is sucking the life out of her."

"I see," Dumbledore said stoking his beard. "And you think this has something to do with The Chamber of Secrets?"

"I don't know," Lily said, "but something is seriously off. I hate to ask, but would you mind taking a look at her? I am good, but I am not arrogant enough to think I know everything. I am a mistress of wandless magic, but I don't know all magic."

"Of course," Dumbledore said. "I'll be happy to examine her. When would you like to…"

Their conversation was interrupted by a flash of fire. Ariana's head formed out of the flames.

"Albus," she said. "Come quickly. A student has been petrified."

XXX

Dumbledore and Lily hurried into the Hospital Wing. "Who is it?" he panted.

Pomfrey pointed to the body lying on the bed. Lily leant over the body. The boy's mousy brown hair fell across his face. "He's a first year," she said. "Colin Creevey I think his name is."

"You're right," Ariana said stepping up beside her. "I found him when coming back from the kitchens." She gestured at the other bed. "I think he was coming to see Longbottom."

Dumbledore picked up a camera from the bedside table. Opening the back of the camera, a jet of steam wafted out.

"The film is melted," Ariana murmured.

"How long until the mandrakes are ready?" Dumbledore asked.

"It'll be a few more months. They need to mature according to Sprout," Pomfrey said.

"We need to inform his parents," Lily said.

Dumbledore was shaking his head before she'd completed the sentence. "No, this situation can be mended. We just need to get the mandrakes ready."

"His parents still have a right to know," Lily snapped. "They are his parents for heaven's sake."

"No," Dumbledore said firmly. "This is an internal matter. We will handle it on the quiet."

"The Ministry will need to be informed," Ariana said. "You can't hide this forever."

"Yes, I know. I'll inform Fudge in the morning."

Lily glared at Dumbledore. "So that's it," she snarled. "We're just going to sweep this under the rug? What about his education? You just expect him to be fine after being in a coma for months?"

"Lily," Dumbledore began.

"No, is this how you view muggles? Do you think they are little children that don't need to be informed of matters they may not understand? If this is the way you treat them, it is no wonder we've been persecuted."

"I have to think of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said patiently. "Tell me Lily, if I did inform Mr. Creevey's parents, how long would it be before they informed other parents of Muggle-borns? Regardless of what the Pure-bloods think, we need Muggle-borns, not just for their finances, but for their blood as well. Without the fae and Muggle-borns our race will die out."

Ariana's eyes flashed. "SO that is how you view us? You think we are breeding stock?"

"The fae treated us as such," Dumbledore countered. "I don't see why you are so surprised."

"The fae formed a beneficial alliance for all parties," Ariana said. "They wanted to insure that all the children had the best homes as possible. They worked with you in the war with Grindelwald."

"But not with Voldemort," Dumbledore said his tone as cold as ice.

"Enough!" Lily hissed. "We are not here to discuss ancient history. We are here to decide whether or not to inform Mr. Creevey's parents of his petrification."

"I thought that had already been decided," Dumbledore said. "No, we are not telling them. I am Headmaster and I have to put the school first."

"Fine," Lily snapped. She turned and began walking towards the door. With her hand on the handle, she turned back to look at Dumbledore. "Remember, Dumbledore, without students there is no school."

 _ **XXX**_

The news of Colin's petrification spread through the school like wildfire. It was also apparent that there had been some sort of falling out between Lily and Dumbledore. They barely spoke to one another and sat as far as possible from one another at the Head table.

"What are you going to do Milady," Ariana asked one afternoon as she had tea with Lily.

"What I feel is right," Lily said. "I truly believe that Creevey's parents have a right to know what is going on."

"You intend to tell them?"

"I see no other option." Lily stirred her tea thoughtfully. "AN institution is not more important than the people that make it up."

"Allow me to do this for you," Ariana said.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I cannot ask you to do this. This will damage your relationship with Albus."

"You're not asking me. I would not offer if I didn't think it was necessary. First," she said walking over to Colin's bed. "I think it would be better if the petrification was reversed."

She placed a hand on Colin's forehead. Her forehead wrinkled with concentration. Golden light flowed from her hands until it incased Colin's entire body. There was a jerk as she touched a Ley line. White bolts of lightning crackled across the ceiling. Leaning over, Ariana placed her mouth on Colin's.

Lily heard the hiss as she breathed into his mouth. Colin convulsed on the bed. He drew in a ragged breath. His eyes slowly opened and he looked up at Ariana.

"Um Hi," he said hesitantly.

Ariana brushed his hair off his face. Stepping away from the bed, she stumbled and would've collapsed had Lily not been there to catch her.

"Thanks," she sighed. "That took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. Whatever petrified that boy was very old and very powerful. It took all I had to reverse it."

"I didn't know you could do that," Lily said handing Ariana a glass of water.

"Fae healers have to be able to mend many things," Ariana said. "When I was reworked into an elf, they found that I had a healing gift."

"Reworked?" Lily asked.

"Fae healers know an old bit of magic called Biomagic. It allows them to take a descendant of the fae and bring those genes to the surface, effectively rewriting the person's genetic structure. It's similar to the adoption process that the Seelie court used, but a little more complicated."

Ariana tried to stand. "I guess I need to inform Colin's parents of what has happened."

"What has happened?" Colin said. "Am I in trouble? I don't remember doing anything wrong."

Ariana smiled gently at him. "No, you're not in trouble." She looked at Lily. "Can you explain things to him?"

Lily nodded. "Of course," she said, "but are you sure you feel up to this? You used up a lot of magic."

"I can use the Ley lines for this," Ariana said pulling on her cloak. "I'll be back later."

 _ **XXX**_

Dumbledore looked over his desk at his sister. "Why didn't you tell us about this?"

"First, the only one that had been petrified originally was the cat. I was not going to expend so much magic to restore a cat.

Secondly, I was not originally planning to restore Mr. Creevey because of the strain it causes. It'll take weeks for me to fully recover and if the prince is injured during this time I may not have the energy to heal him."

"Then why do it?" Dumbledore asked. "If the cost is that high, why expend the energy to heal a boy that would've been healed eventually anyway?"

"Because I realized that being here strictly to aid the prince was selfish. Oberon never would've made such a caveat. He helped whomever and wherever he could."

"So how did his parents take it?"

"Surprisingly well, when I assured them that this was a singular event and that the students were in no more danger."

"You know that's not true," Dumbledore said sternly. "We have no idea where the chamber is or what might be inside it."

Ariana stood and headed towards the door. "Then I suggest you get to work finding out more about it, shouldn't you? You were here fifty years ago when the chamber was opened. You should be able to figure out a common theme or pattern."

 _ **XXX**_

The school was relieved to have Colin back among them. For the weeks leading up to Christmas he kept getting asked what it had been like to be petrified.

The teachers kept an eye out for any strange behavior, but saw nothing. Even Ginny seemed back to her old self. The week before Christmas, they woke up to a Hogwarts buried in several feet of snow.

"Shame we got classes," Harry said piling eggs and bacon onto his plate. "It'd be fun to have a snowball fight."

"You'd get creamed," Ginny said through a mouthful of sausage.

"You wish," Harry quipped back.

"Snowball fights are always fun," Luna said dreamily. "It's also fun to look for icecaps?"

Ginny looked at Harry. "What are icecaps?"

"No idea," Harry said.

Hermione snorted. "I bet she made those up for sure."

Luna smiled serenely at Hermione. "Could have."

As Harry watched his friends talking, he hoped that Aeval would leave him alone for this year at least. It would be so nice not to have to worry about someone trying to kill him.

XXX

Voldemort was impatient. He couldn't wait much longer. The teachers were watching the students for any strange behavior. He couldn't afford to kill Filch now. It might draw attention to Ginny's possession. He would have to act fast. But first, he needed to gather his strength. Possessing this girl was not going to be easy.

 _ **XXX**_

Hermione stirred the potion, watching as the color changed to a royal blue. She wished she could've told her friends about this, but she wanted to handle this alone. Besides, she only had enough for two doses.

She had found the Pollyjuice potion in a book she'd picked up from Diagon Alley. The potion would allow her to take on the form of another person for an hour. Getting the ingredients had been difficult and keeping it from her friends even more so, but this was necessary.

The previous year at Hogwarts, Malfoy and Longbottom had been mortal enemies. Now they were hanging out together. Why would they do that? She was curious if they were the ones who opened the Chamber of Secrets. It sounded farfetched, but Malfoy and his Father had no love for those they considered lesser wizards.

This potion would allow her to find out the truth once and for all.

 _ **XXX**_

It began on midnight of the twenty-first of December. Ginny awoke and sat up. Slowly, she climbed out of bed and silently made her way to her trunk. As quietly as possible, she opened the lid and pulled out a set of robes.

In the back of her mind, Ginny was screaming. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her hands from pulling her robes on. She struggled to stop her feet, but they moved against her will forcing her towards the door of her room. She tried to scream, but no sound made it passed her lips. The door closed with a bang behind her. Her feet carried her into the front room and out the door. Unnoticed by her, a figure slipped out of the shadows of a chair where he'd been sitting and followed her.

XXX

Harry followed Ginny through the silent corridors of Hogwarts. He'd known something was wrong all day. Ginny had seemed distant. He used his sight on her and noticed something strange about her aura.

Ginny's aura was usually pure gold flecked with the faintest traces of red. Today it was different. Her aura was nearly all black. There were only a few tiny specks of gold left in her aura. He'd known something was wrong immediately. He'd considered saying something to his Mother, but had elected not to. After all, what could he say? "Mum, Ginny's aura looks weird."

Even in his ears the words sounded stupid. Since talking to his Mother was out, he'd elected to do the next best thing. He'd decided to watch her. He froze as Ginny entered a girl's bathroom.

Slowly, he followed her inside. He watched as she stopped before one of the sinks. She opened her mouth and a hissing sound emerged.

The sink seemed to melt. In its place, a pipe emerged. Ginny slid into the pipe. Without hesitation, Harry followed her.

As he jumped inside, someone else dove in right behind him.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry slid down a slimy tunnel and landed at the bottom with a wet splat. Rising to his feet, he came face to face with Ginny.

Ginny's eyes glowed faintly and a triumphant smile split her face. "You've made this so easy for me."

"What?" Harry began.

A high pitched giggle escaped Ginny's mouth, but at the same time it was a low chuckle. It was as if Ginny's voice was being overlapped by another. A male's voice.

Harry's eyes widened. "Voldemort," he whispered.

"You are correct sir," Voldemort said smiling with Ginny's mouth. "Unfortunately, I didn't expect you here so soon and I am not strong enough to deal with you yet."

Runes flared around Harry. Ley line energy surged through him. Harry's golden green eyes were lit with a blue light. He raised his hand. A single rune flared in his palm. The rune expanded the light that created it turning from a pale blue to a fiery red. The light left his palm accompanied by a sound like a clap of thunder.

Ginny/Voldemort casually side-stepped the spell. Her other hand came up and she smashed a steel pipe into Harry's head. The blow landed with a sickening crack. Blood flew on the air as Harry collapsed.

Ginny looked down at Harry's unconscious body. "I hate to use Muggle fighting, but I'm not sure I could beat you in a magical duel in my current condition."

"Fight him Ginny," a dreamy voice said from the pipe.

Ginny spun around. Her glowing eyes widened as she saw Luna standing calmly in front of her. "You," she hissed.

"I'm not talking to you," Luna said. "I'm talking to Ginny. You can win this Ginny don't let this little spirit control you. He may have been a dark Lord years ago, but now he's just a parasite, too scared to accept that he's lost."

For a second, the red light in Ginny's eyes dimmed. When she spoke, there was no trace of Voldemort's voice underneath hers.

"Luna, run, please I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm not going to leave you, Ginny," Luna said. "You are my friend and friends don't abandon friends."

The red light flared in Ginny's eyes. "That is refreshing," Voldemort said. "It has been a long time since I have seen such loyalty. Go away, girl. I have no quarrel with you. I just need to kill the Evans boy and it will all be over."

"What about Ginny," Luna asked, her silvery eyes flashing. "What's going to happen to her?"

"It is unfortunate," Voldemort said, "but she is going to die so I can be reborn."

Luna's chin jutted out. "Then I am not leaving her."

"Fine," Voldemort said. "I will allow you to die with the Evans boy so you will not enter the next life alone." Quick as a snake, Ginny's hand flew up, a red light striking Luna in the chest.

 _ **XXX**_

Hermione burst into Lily's room, her eyes wide. "Lily," she shrieked. "Ginny and Harry are both gone."

With a snarl, Lily sat up and looked at the clock. It was only half passed six in the morning. She started to ask Hermione what she was talking about before her words registered.

"What do you mean she and Harry are gone?"

"Luna's missing too," Hermione said.

Lily leapt out of bed and began to pull on her clothes. "Come on, we are going to see Dumbledore."

Hermione hesitated. "You go see Dumbledore. I'll search the school and see if I can find them."

Lily shook her head. "Hermione, I can't let you wander around the school alone. You need to come with me."

Reluctantly, Hermione followed Lily out of her quarters.

XXX

Harry groaned. His head hurt like hell. What had happened? Raising a hand, he touched the side of his head. His hair was wet and matted with blood.

"Harry," a voice said from beside him. The voice was familiar. Harry could tell just by that one word that the person was terrified.

"Luna," he croaked.

"Yeah, I followed you down here. Ginny is…"

"Possessed I know."

"Not anymore," a cheerful voice said from behind them.

Spinning around, Harry froze. A sixteen year old boy with a pale face, and dark hair stared at them. His eyes were a glowing red. A golden light outlined his body.

Glancing behind him, he saw Ginny lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her skin was a white as paper. He could see every bone outlined beneath her skin. He was brought back to reality by Voldemort beginning to speak again.

"I have drawn enough life energy from Ginny to make myself corporeal. Now I feel like I can take you."

"You think we're just going to sit here and wait to die?" Harry snapped.

"I think under ordinary circumstances, you'd fight. You should know though that the more power I use the faster I'll be draining poor Ginny's life-force."

"I was right," Luna said. "You are a parasite."

"I am what the world has made me," Voldemort said. He raised his hand, the tips of his fingers glowing green. "Two curses and it will all be over. Just relax, I don't think it will hurt and even if it does, it will all be over soon."

Harry exploded. His robes ripped as his muscles bulged. His face elongated into a slavering wolf's head. With a snarl, he lunged, his teeth sinking into Voldemort's hand.

Voldemort yelled and tried to pull back, but Harry's teeth held firm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Voldemort's hand coming around.

He leapt back, narrowly avoiding the green light flying at his head. He lunged again, claws raking across Voldemort's face.

Snarling, he snapped, his fangs clipping together just short of Voldemort's nose.

 _ **XXX**_

Luna watched as Harry snarled at Voldemort. Something was wrong. Harry wasn't using any magic. His movements were graceful, feral, and full of rage.

Her eyes widened. Harry wasn't in control anymore. What was she going to do? Harry couldn't beat Voldemort in his current state. He had to think like a fae not a wolf, but how was she going to get through to him?

 _ **XXX**_

He growled, feeling the magic building in the air. He tried to dodge, but the green light hit him full in the face, knocking him off his feet.

He smashed into the wall and slid down to the floor, leaving a trail of blood and fur behind.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry blinked. He was standing in Limbo again. His Father was smiling at him, his gold eyes twinkling.

"Well, that looked fun."

"Maybe for you," Harry said. "I'm dead aren't I?"

"No, we just used the killing curse to initiate a conversation that needed to take place."

"We?"

Oberon pointed behind him.

Harry turned around to see an eight foot tall wolfman standing there, a doggy grin splitting his muzzle. A stubby tail wagged behind him.

"What the?" Harry began.

"That's your wolf," Oberon explained patiently.

"Okay, what's it doing outside my subconscious?"

"Because that's how you see me," the wolfman's voice boomed like thunder. "You see me as a separate entity, so I appear as a separate entity."

"Exactly," Oberon said. "I told you before that fae are magic. That applies to half-breed fae as well. Your wolf is part of your magic, but you continue to view yourself as two souls trapped in a single body. In order to have access to your true power, you need to accept the wolf as part of you, not as another being you share your body with. He is you, a tails to your heads if you prefer. You two are one."

"I know that," Harry said.

"You know it up here," Oberon tapped Harry's forehead with a finger. "You don't accept it though. Why do you think fae-shifter hybrids are forbidden? The fae struggle against their animal nature. Very few can unify their split souls. Those that can't usually go on a killing spree or are locked in their animal forms forever."

"And those that can?" Harry asked.

"Those that can usually grow to have magic that far accedes that of their parents. If you can merge your wolf and fae side, you will have a much better chance of survival. If you can't, what little control you have managed to obtain will fade and you will be lost to your wolf forever."

"Insanity or a boost in power," Harry said thoughtfully. "What a hard choice?" He straightened up. "Alright, how do I do this?"

"Just accept him," Oberon said. "The wolf is part of you. You don't have to control it. You don't have to fight it for dominance of your body. It is you. Fighting it is fighting yourself. You and the wolf are one."

"So how do I do this?" Harry asked. "What am I supposed to do hug him?"

"I think a handshake will suffice," the wolfman rumbled.

Hesitantly, Harry reached out and took hold of the wolfman's clawed hand. The world vanished in a blast of light. The howl of a wolf and the scream of a human boy echoed through Limbo before both Harry and the wolfman vanished.

Where they had stood was a tall boy that looked to be fifteen or sixteen. His hair was no longer blue, but silver. His eyes, sometimes gold and other times golden green had turned the shining green of Emeralds. Muscles rippled as he shifted on the balls of his feet.

"You did it," Oberon said wonderingly.

"I have to go back don't I?" he said. He stopped and raised a hand to his mouth. His voice had changed. There was a low gravelly quality to it, like the growl of a wolf."

"I'm afraid so. Your little friend needs your help."

"Luna, is she alright? Has Voldemort harmed her?"

"She's fine. Time doesn't pass the same here as it does outside. It's only been a few seconds in the mortal world."

"Thanks Dad," Harry said. "Before I go, how come Mum didn't have to learn to be one with her wolf?"

"Wolfshifters and hybrids are not the same. The Wolfshifter must learn to control their wolf. They have to master their wolf. The fae/wolfshifter hybrid is different. They have two different types of magic inside them and they must join those different magics to achieve harmony."

"Which is why Mum couldn't teach me how to truly control my wolf," Harry observed.

"Exactly."

"Thanks again," Harry said. "I'll see you around?"

"Sooner than you think," Oberon said with a wink.

The world dissolved around him and Harry was engulfed by darkness.

 _ **XXX**_

Voldemort stared down at Harry's fallen body. "I did it," he whispered. "It's over."

Hearing a soft sobbing behind him; he turned to see Luna with tears running down her pale cheeks. "Do not cry girl," he said gently. "My mission is complete. Harry Evans is dead. I have no reason to kill you now."

"You're a monster," Luna said her voice shaking with grief and rage.

"I am what I have to be to keep the Wizarding world safe."

"Any excuse that will keep you in power right?" Luna hissed.

Voldemort opened his mouth to say something, but a blast of light caused him to freeze. Turning, he saw Harry sitting up, silver hair falling around his face.

"That was unpleasant," he said, his deeper voice rumbling through the chamber.

As Voldemort watched, Harry grew visibly taller. Muscles rippled beneath his torn robes. His golden green eyes turning the color of freshly cut emeralds.

"You were dead," Voldemort whispered clearly dismayed.

"I was, but I resolved conflict and got over it."

His new green eyes glowed with blue fire. "Now," he said smiling nastily. "Where were we?"

Voldemort unleashed a volley of spells at Harry, but somehow, he never seemed to be where the spell was headed."

Harry swiped a hand through the air. Four diagonal lines appeared on Voldemort's chest. Voldemort screamed. Streams of white mist flowed from the wound, across the intervening space and into Ginny.

"Just as I thought," Harry said. "If you take damage, the energy you stole gets returned to the one it was stolen from. Until the process is complete, you two are connected."

"This isn't over," Voldemort bellowed. He began hissing. The sound echoed eerily around the chamber. There was a cracking sound.

Harry turned to see the mouth of the statue yawning open. AN enormous serpent slithered out of the statue and struck the floor with a thud.

"Harry," Luna screamed. "Don't look into its eyes. That is a basilisk. It can kill with its stare."

"Clever girl," Voldemort said. "You see, I don't have to kill you the snake will do it for me."

Harry concentrated, long razor sharp claws extended from his fingers. His hair grew to cover his face, his teeth became as sharp as daggers and his eyes turned amber. With a growl, he leapt into the air and slashed at the snake.

The basilisk hissed in pain as his claws left a long gash across its snout. It snapped at him, barely missing his fingers.

Fire leapt from Harry's hand scorching the snake's scales, and boiling its eyes in its sockets. The snake let out a sound like a cat that's had its whiskers pulled as its eyes exploded.

Harry watched as the scorch marks on the scales faded, but the eyes didn't heal. "Eyes down, now I just got to watch out for the teeth."

"Oi," Luna shouted. The snake turned towards her. "Fetch."

Luna lobbed a little black Diary directly into the snake's open mouth. The snake reflexively snapped its mouth shut.

Voldemort screamed. There was an explosion that shook the cavern and blew the head off of Slytherin's basilisk. Blood and bits of flesh showered Harry and Luna.

Finally the cavern was silent. Harry wiped blood and something he really didn't want to identify off his face and looked at Luna.

"Fetch?"

Luna shrugged, a slight smile twitching the corner of her mouth. They both turned to look at Ginny.

She was still unconscious, but her color was coming back into her face. "We need to get her to the Hospital Wing."

She glanced back the way they'd come. "How are we going to get out of here?"

"I have a plan," Harry said.

XXX

Harry wined as he poked his snout out of the pipe. His claws dug into the stone lip above him. Muscles straining, he struggled to climb the last few inches. He could feel Luna's legs clamped tightly round his waist.

A slim hand came into view, and gripped the stone. With a grunt, Luna pulled herself out of the pipe. Turning around, she reached in and drew Ginny off of Harry's back.

Harry slipped out of the pipe and collapsed panting on the floor. A tingling feeling shot through him. His entire body seemed to dissolve before reforming into his normal form.

"Well, well, well," a smug voice came from the doorway. "I think I just found who opened the chamber of secrets."

 _ **XXX**_

Hermione dropped the black hair into the glass and watched as the potion turned the color of mud. She was just thankful she'd started carrying some of the potion with her. She hated lying to Lily about feeling sick, but this was her only chance to get answers.

Raising the glass to her lips, she downed the viscous liquid.

Dropping the glass, she let out a piercing scream as her skin rippled and her bones broke. The screamed turned to the yowl of a large cat.

She felt her eyes roll back in her head and she collapsed to the floor.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

Albus Dumbledore had done many things he wasn't proud of over the years. People had praised him for his wisdom and magical power. In the last half century, he'd come to believe what others said about him. It was moments like this though that reminded him that he was a mortal man, just as fallible and likely to make mistakes as any other.

Lily had been right. He should've closed the school until the chamber could be located and the monster dealt with. He was about to lose three students and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He took another look at the occupants of his office, hoping something might have changed.

Mr. Evans and Ms. Lovegood sat close together as if drawing strength from one another. They seemed unafraid, more resigned to whatever happened next.

On the other side of the office was Gilderoy Lockhart. He had a triumphant smile on his face. His blond hair was in disarray sticking up all over the place from all the times he'd ran his fingers through it. He was positively dancing, flush with the capture of what he thought were the three that had opened the chamber of secrets.

The last two occupants of the office stood next to each other, glaring at Dumbledore. Cornelius Fudge, minister of magic, and Lucius Malfoy.

Fudge's portly frame was quivering; whether with rage or excitement, Dumbledore didn't know. Fudge was holding his bowler hat and was spinning it so fast it was a wonder it hadn't burst into flames.

Lucius stood calmly beside fudge. His cane was planted firmly between his feet. A slight smile curled the corners of his pale lips and a faint hint of triumph glimmered in his grey eyes. It was he that spoke first.

"Well Dumbledore? Are you going to expel these three miscreants or not?"

"I see no reason to expel them," Dumbledore said calmly. "The only crime they appear to have committed is going into a girl's bathroom. As a matter-of-fact, Mr. Evans is the only one guilty of that crime."

"I saw it," Gilderoy spluttered. "One of the sinks was a large tunnel of some sort and they came out of the tunnel."

"Indeed? Perhaps you can tell me why you were outside the girl's bathroom in the first place? That is very unseemly behavior for a professor."

Lockhart flushed. "I am not the one in trouble here. These three are tainted by dark magic, surely you can feel it?"

Luna cleared her throat. "I think I can explain it with this." She held up a mass of burned parchment, wrapped in a torn piece of her robes.

Dumbledore took the bundle and laid it on his desk. Drawing his wand, he waved it over the bundle, watching closely as a row of glowing letters appeared floating in the air. Flicking his wand, the letters vanished. Another wave and a sickly black aura surrounded the bundle.

"Well?" Fudge asked impatiently.

"Ms. Lovegood is correct. Whatever this was contains traces of powerful dark magic. In addition, there is strong evidence of sorcery."

Fudge winced. Sorcery was a dark art where a witch or wizard allowed themselves to be possessed by a demon for access to power that was normally denied to wizards. The possession could last for a day, a month, or permanently. Most wizards that attempted it were driven insane by the things the demon made them do.

Fudge stood to his full height. He barely came up to Dumbledore's breast bone. Although he was not very intimidating, the little fellow tried his best. "What have you been teaching your students, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes flashed. When he spoke, his voice held a note of warning and a promise of pain. "Be careful what you say Cornelius," he whispered icily. "I will stand for many things, but you are coming very close to impugning my honor. Are you suggesting that I routinely teach my students how to call up demons? Do you really think my staff would go along with something like that even if I were inclined to do so?"

Fudge wilted. "Well," he blustered. "How else would the girl know how to do it?"

"This," Dumbledore gestured at the mass of blackened parchment in front of him. "Is not the remains of a container for a demon. It is true it contained dark magic, but it definitely housed a human soul, corrupted, yes, but still human."

"So the girl was controlled," Lucius said. "Is that what you are trying to tell us?"

"Yes, I believe whatever resided in this book was able to possess Ms. Weasley. If Mr. Evans and Ms. Lovegood are to be believed, Ms. Weasley's eyes changed color. That is a clear sign of possession."

"Nevertheless," Lucius said. "The girl was very foolish. She had to do something to cause the spells on such a dark artifact to activate. Just owning such an object would not have caused it to possess her. It is my belief she should be expelled. Let it be a lesson to her not to be so stupid again."

"Expulsion?" Fudge said. "Is that really necessary Lucius? I mean yes, the girl was foolish, but expulsion is a little harsh. She would not be able to practice magic again."

"Someone could've died," Lucius said sternly. "Think of what would've been done to Hogwarts's reputation if she had killed one of the Muggle-borns."

 _ **XXX**_

Ariana worked over Ginny's still form. Sigils had been painted over her chest and stomach in blood. The sigils glowed with a golden light.

"Why is this necessary?" Arthur asked staring at his Daughters motionless body.

"Multiple reasons," Ariana said distractedly.

"First, the strain of hosting Voldemort nearly killed her. This will insure she is fully healed. Second, this is the only way she will be able to continue to perform magic."

"What!" Molly gasped. "Are you saying that the possession by that monster nearly made her a squib?"

"No, but Lucius Malfoy is as we speak trying to get your daughter expelled. I dare say this was his plan all along."

"How do you know all this?" Arthur asked.

"Ariana pointed to an earring in her right ear. A small glass bead hung from it. "This is like a two-way fireplace without the fire and without the ability to travel. "I gave this to Albus in case of emergency it allows me to hear conversations in his office so long as the other bead remains intact."

"But what you are doing is blood magic," Molly said. "Blood magic was banned by the ministry."

"I am not under the jurisdiction of the ministry. I serve my queen and she knows about this magic. So long as you approve, I can continue."

"Do it," Arthur said.

"Arthur?" Molly said shocked.

"No matter what happens, she is our daughter," Arthur said. "I will not allow her to be punished for being possessed."

Molly watched silently as Ariana laid her hands on Ginny's forehead and stomach. Golden light surrounded them both. Magic crackled on the air. Sweat broke out on Ariana's forehead. The room shook violently. Ginny's back arched. Her eyes flew wide and her mouth opened in a soundless scream.

XXX

Back in Dumbledore's office, Lucius and Dumbledore stared at each other pointedly.

"So you believe Ms. Weasley should be expelled, do you? Tell me Lucius, would you still feel that way if your son had been the one possessed? I seem to recall you and your friends bullying other students when you were students here. Should you have been expelled for that?"

"Perhaps," Lucius said, "but it was because of your generosity that I was not."

"And you expect me not to extend that generosity to a girl whose only crime was writing in a book?"

"I do understand it was a mistake," Lucius argued. "However, you cannot let this action go unpunished. What happens next time? What if she brings something even more dangerous into the school?"

"He's right Albus," Fudge said. "The girl needs to be expelled. She needs to be made an example of."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "You do not want me to do this. You cannot force me to take actions without consequences."

"Is that a threat?" Lucius snarled his hand tightening on the handle of his cane.

"Merely a promise," Dumbledore said. "I have been lenient on all the students that constantly insult others. If you force my hand against a girl who didn't know what she was doing and was forced to do something against her will, that leniency will be gone. I believe there are some students that insist on calling Muggle-born's Mudblood. What if they were to be expelled after three strikes?"

Before Fudge or Malfoy could respond, the door burst open. Ariana strode in followed by Ginny, Molly, and Arthur.

"This argument is merely going in circles and it is a moot point now anyway."

"Ariana?" Dumbledore said staring at Ginny.

The girl was taller. Her skin was pale and she was as slender as a rake. Her ears were slightly pointed, poking out of her hair like tiny horns on the side of her head. She moved with a liquid grace no human could match. As he watched, she strode over to stand next to Harry, leaning against him companionably.

Lucius stared at the Weasley girl his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "What have you done, woman?"

"Spoiled your plans," Lily said entering the office.

"What are you talking about?"

Lily didn't answer. Instead, she spoke to Albus. "I told you. I warned you that if anything happened to Harry I'd be out of here. All three of my students have been injured."

Hermione came into the office. Her ears were pointed and her face was covered in fur. A muzzle protruded from her face where her mouth had been.

"What happened to her?" Dumbledore gasped.

"Botched Pollyjuice potion," Ariana said. "Luckily I should be able to fix it, mostly."

"The girl will still need to be expelled," Lucius snapped.

"You don't have to worry about that," Lily said. "We will be leaving. You want us gone, so we'll be gone."

"What about her wand?" Fudge said. "It will need to be snapped you know."

"She is no longer your concern," Harry spoke for the first time since entering the office. "She is fae now. That means she is no longer under your jurisdiction. She is under the protection of my Mother."

Fudge froze. "Impossible," he croaked. "A wizard cannot become a fae."

"If there is a sufficient amount of fae blood in their bloodline they can," Ariana said quietly.

"So she isn't being punished for her stupidity?" Lucius growled.

"Why Lucius?" Harry said. "Didn't Voldemort put you under the imperius curse? Should you be punished for the actions you were forced to do while under the curse?"

Lucius's mouth snapped shut. He knew there was no way he could win this argument now. All his carefully laid plans were in ruins. He stared at the Evans boy in impotent rage before spinning to face Dumbledore.

"This isn't over."

"No," Dumbledore said. "I advise you not to allow anymore of Tom's possessions to enter the wrong hands though."

Lucius sneered at Dumbledore. Turning to the door, he swept from the office without another word.

Lily watched him go before turning to Lockhart. "Since you seem so keen on seeing my son leave, why don't you be the one to explain to the public why we are leaving? While you're at it, you can also explain why you were in a girl's bathroom."

"Lily," Dumbledore began.

"No Albus," Lily snapped. "I told you before this year began that I would not put my son in any more danger. We're leaving."

"I am afraid I must leave to," Ariana said. "My duty is to protect the prince and the queen."

"Ariana," Lily said gently. "I hate to take you away from your brother. You may stay if you wish."

"No," Ariana said. "Malfoy will want revenge for his defeat today. I'd better come with you. Odds are I'd be asked to leave before too long anyway. Besides, Madam Pomfrey knows what she needs to in order to heal any fae that might show up here. My work is done."

"I just got you back," Dumbledore said sadly.

"I may be leaving, but I won't be dead," Ariana said gently. "You and I can still visit."

"What about Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said.

"Unfortunately, the potion she took has altered her right down to the molecular level. I won't be able to heal her completely. However, I should be able to restore most of her humanity."

"I'd like to go with you," Luna said. "You are my only friends and I don't want to be left behind."

"If your Father agrees," Lily said smiling. "I'd love to have another student."

"You are going to need a bigger house," Ariana said.

"We have a few connections in the Muggle world," Lily said.

Ariana smiled. "Hopefully we can reopen the gates soon. Muggles tend to get suspicious of people that don't age."

"That's what Glamour is for," Harry said.

"What about my parents," Ginny said. "Will they get in trouble because of me?"

"I do not believe so," Dumbledore said. "Lucius Malfoy was forced to admit that you were possessed. That means he cannot say that you did this on purpose. Your Father's job is safe for now."

"Good," Ginny said sighing in relief.

Dumbledore looked at Lily. "What do I do about a Charms professor? You are leaving me in a bit of a bind."

"Ask Flitwick to return for the remainder of the year. It's only six months and that should give you the time you need to find a new professor. I'd start looking for a new defense professor as well. You know how they have a tendency not to last long."

Lockhart paled and shuffled his feet nervously.

With a glance, Lily gathered her three students and Ariana. At the door, she turned back. "We'll see you again Albus."

Albus watched as Lily and her son exited his office. It would be ten years before anyone in the Wizarding world saw them again. By that time, a new dark Lord would've risen and the magical community would be in the midst of a civil war.

 _ **XXX**_

Aeval sat up on her throne as Voldemort appeared in front of her. She smirked as he flinched at sight of her.

"Well," she said. "Look who failed me, again."

Voldemort said nothing. What could he say? He had failed her. There was no denying that. He was resigned. All his plans, all the deals he'd made had been for nothing. He knew this was the end for him. Worse yet, he knew where he'd end up once she severed his tie to the mortal world.

It was what he deserved. He'd known that from the time he'd chosen this path, but to know all his work had been in vain was a bitter pill to swallow. He raised his head and stared into Aeval's blue eyes.

"I knew this day would come."

"Pardon?" Aeval said raising one dark eyebrow.

"Ever since Abaddon showed up I knew I was on my way out. You've been waiting for the perfect reason to justify kicking me to the curb."

Aeval nodded. "You have failed me twice. Both times you were provided with a body and you still failed. You have had every opportunity to succeed. The boy was even in your grasp and you still failed. Do you know what I think, Tom? I think you didn't want to kill the boy. I think deep down you regret the things you've done for power."

"And if I did. It is too late now. My fate is sealed."

"Yes," Abaddon said stepping forward. "It is."

Voldemort turned to face him. "What do you want?"

"Well," Abaddon said stretching like a cat in the sun. "I need time to build an army. It's going to take years to do that, but before I even begin, I need a way out of Elphame."

"Good luck," Voldemort said. "The gates are closed. Oberon's spell has seen to that."

"You are correct, but where there's a will there's a way. My dear," Abaddon said turning to the bushy haired woman. "If you please?"

The bushy haired woman waved a hand. Voldemort felt himself being pulled through the halls of Elphame. He went through corridors so fast he barely had time to register anything. When they stopped, he was standing in front of a set of silver gates. The metal was pure with no sign of tarnish anywhere.

"Of course this isn't really silver," the woman said. "This is just how our minds interpret something far too complex for mortal eyes."

Voldemort was slammed up against the gates. Spectral nails pierced his hands and feet pinning him to the gates like a frog on a dissecting board. He couldn't help it. He screamed. The pain was unlike anything he'd felt before.

"Now now," Abaddon said soothingly. "There is no need to carry on so. All your pain will be over soon enough." He leaned closer to Voldemort. "I've seen many versions of you," he whispered.

Voldemort stared up at him. "What?" he said. "What are you talking about?"

Abaddon continued as if he hadn't heard. "I guess no matter what world I go to I am destined to destroy you." Stepping back, he took the hands of his two companions.

"The soul is eternal and immortal," Abaddon said. "What most people fail to realize is that it is an enormous source of energy. With you attached to the gate like that, we can pry it open just enough for us to slip through. Of course," he smirked. "It probably won't be too pleasant for you."

Pain ripped through Voldemort. He screamed again as his soul was melted fast to the gate. The trio's cruel laughter echoed in his ears. He felt himself being pushed forward as the gate moved slightly. First, he saw the redhead slip passed him followed by the brunette. As Abaddon started to follow them, Voldemort spoke.

"Who are you?"

Abaddon stopped. He turned slightly and smiled. "In my world, my name was Harry Potter."

XXX

Oberon pulled Voldemort to his feet. In the distance, they both heard the massive boom as the gates slammed shut.

Voldemort looked down at his hands. There were no wounds. There was not even a scar to show where the nails had pierced his flesh.

"Why did you save me?" he stared at Oberon.

"Honestly? I thought you may be useful." He frowned. "And I was told to."

"By who?"

Oberon shrugged. "I don't ask questions like that. Point is it's going to take years for Abaddon to prepare for his takeover of the Wizarding world. I was told to offer you a deal."

"What sort of deal?"

"A chance at life. You will have the opportunity to go back and relive your life without any memory of this one at least at first."

"What do you get out of this?"

"No clue, I'm just doing what I was told."

"How can I help? Even if it takes five years for Abaddon to build his armies, I'll barely be out of nappies by that point."

"Reincarnation doesn't work like that. If you agree, you will be reborn before this time."

"Okay," Voldemort said slowly. "I agree, but before I go, I have a question."

"Just one?"

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said.

"Ah," Oberon said. "I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that he comes from another world. He's been going from world to world killing alternate versions of himself for their souls and power. He is more of a monster than you ever were. If he hadn't committed so many atrocities he could almost be pitied."

"Why?"

"He once fought against an alternate version of you, but he was betrayed and decided to overreact."

"What can I do?" Voldemort said. "I wasn't exactly able to do anything to him this time."

"I told you," Oberon said patiently. "You will be fully grown. You won't be getting your memories until the time is right. Because of your passed, we feel that you may know something that can stop Abaddon before he destroys everything."

"Why would he want to destroy everything? If he only wants to kill this version of himself, why does he want to rule the Wizarding world?"

"He doesn't. He just wants to start a war that will destroy the world. He's been doing this for ages just for the simple pleasure of watching humanity tear itself apart."

"You mentioned my past actions, why am I being given this chance? Surely there are others that are more qualified. I thought each soul was given one chance and that was it."

"You were dead, but not departed. You have no knowledge of what comes hereafter. For that reason, you are being allowed a second chance, but only one." Oberon held up one finger. "If you screw this up, there's not going to be a third."

"Alright," Voldemort said. "So how do I do this?"

Oberon gestured and a pool of water appeared in front of him. "Just walk into the water."

Voldemort slowly entered the pool. The water was cool and refreshing. He walked deeper into the water. As he walked, all his worries and cares faded from his mind. He heard Oberon speak, but it sounded far away.

"Good Luck, Tom Riddle. You are going to need it."

The ground dropped out from under Voldemort's feet. He didn't even have time to scream before he was engulfed by a blinding white light.

XXX

Dumbledore sat bolt upright in his bed. His mouth yawned open and he screamed in agony. "No," he whispered. "What have I done?" He collapsed back on his bed sobbing. An unknown amount of time later, he sat p, his blue eyes full of a steely resolve. He threw back the covers and arose. "It's time to go to work."

 _ **XXX**_

"I like the hair," Lily said running her fingers through Harry's hair. They were all enjoying a late breakfast the morning after leaving Hogwarts.

The Grangers had been understandably horrified at what happened to their daughter. They were relieved to learn that Ariana would be able to make her more human.

"Mum," Harry said blushing and leaning away from her fingers. "That tickles."

"You have my eyes now."

"Yeah, I merged with my wolf and it changed some things."

"What are we going to do now,' Ginny asked glancing at Hermione who was ignoring everyone, focusing all her attention on her food. "We need to fix Hermione and something tells me Voldemort isn't gone forever."

"We have time. Since Voldemort's gone for now. We'll continue our training, but we're going to live. Since you won't be returning to Hogwarts, we're going to fix Hermione, continue your training, and enjoy life. I'm done hiding. That is no life for any of you. No that you all know the basics, I'm going to concentrate on your specifics.

Harry, FOR YOU it will be your elemental and light magic. Ginny, for you that will be transfiguration. Hermione, I think warding and runes will be your specialty."

"And for me?" Luna asked.

"You definitely have fae blood. I think your specialty is going to be your mind. We have plenty of time to figure things out."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said smiling.

"Yeah," Ginny said.

Hermione just nodded, still not being able to speak.

Their conversation was interrupted by a flash of flame. A piece of parchment fell out of the air.

Lily caught the parchment and unfolded it. As she read, her expression darkened.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore wants a word as soon as possible."

XXX

"Why now Albus?" Lily asked. "Why offer to train Harry now? You've spent all this time trying to train Neville. Why do you have an interest in Harry all of a sudden?"

Dumbledore looked at Lily seriously. "We have a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in. Something is coming and it will plunge the Wizarding world into a war the likes of which we have never seen before."

"Voldemort?"

"Worse," Dumbledore said.

Lily stared at her former headmaster in silence. There was a resolve in his eyes she'd never seen before.

"Alright Albus," she said. "You have a deal, but I'm not coming back to Hogwarts."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'll come to you. It is time I stepped down anyway. McGonagall can take over Hogwarts."

"I'll see you soon then?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "See you soon."

 _ **XXX**_

Abaddon stood in a filthy back alley. His head was tilted back, his eyes closed in pleasure. It was so good to be in England again. "So," the bushy haired girl said. "What are we going to do now?"

Abaddon smirked. "The same thing we do every night, take over the world."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter fifteen**_

Neville Longbottom made his way down the streets of London ignoring the passersby. The smell of petrel, rain, and various types of food filled the air as he walked. Coming to Muggle London always made him nervous. He felt like an outsider. In the Wizarding world, he was someone, but here he was just another person on the streets. No one gave him a second look when they bumped into him.

At the thought of the Wizarding world, he winced. He may be uncomfortable in Muggle London, but at least no one expected anything from him here. He was free, or as free as he was ever likely to get.

Another bright side to Muggle London was no fear. Everyone seemed happy enough, or at least unafraid to walk the streets. These days Diagon Alley stayed deserted most of the time.

Turning down a side-street, he entered an alley devoid of people. Crushed cigarette butts had been smashed into the cracks in the pavement and half the buildings had no windows. The empty holes seemed to stare at him like unfriendly eyes. The smell of sweat, piss, and stale whisky permeated the air. He approached the steps to a run-down building. The brickwork was cracked, several of the windows were boarded up, and a drunk lay on the steps, snoring loudly. As Neville approached, the man sat up, drawing a long knife from his grubby coat.

"What you want?" he growled.

Neville held up a hand. "I don't want any trouble. I just want inside that building behind you."

The man looked Neville up and down, his blood shot eyes narrowing. "What you wearing robes for? Snot Halloween is it?"

Neville's jaw clenched. "Look, I don't have time for this. Are you going to let me in or not?"

"Buildin's not safe for people like you," the man said slumping down to lay full length on the steps. "Hell; ain't safe for people like me, but I got an agreement with one of the people in there. Supposed to let him know if anyone's looking for him. So, who you want to see?"

"That's none of your business," Neville snapped.

The man moved so fast, Neville didn't even have time to attempt to draw his wand. One moment he was laying down, the next, the blade of the knife was at Neville's throat. "Fraid it is," the man breathed into Neville's face. His breath smelled like roast pork and old beer.

Neville's hand moved towards his pocket, but the knife pressed harder against his throat. A thin trickle of blood ran down his neck, tickling his skin. "Wouldn't go for your wand if I were you, wizard." The last word was said as if Neville a trafficker of children. He froze.

"That's right," the man said. "I know what you are. Now, you can tell me who you're looking for, or I can open your throat from ear to ear."

"That will do," a female voice said from the top of the steps.

Neville looked up to see a tall redhead coming through the battered wooden doors. She was at least 5'10 with eyes the color of melted chocolate and hair the color of flames. He could just see the tips of pointed ears sticking through her hair. She slowly walked down the steps to stand beside the drunk. "Let him go," she said with a put upon sigh. "If you kill him, they'll be a lot of awkward questions and we can't say we didn't notice a dead body on our steps."

The man stepped back, drawing his knife away from Neville's throat. "Milady," he said bowing.

Ginny nodded. "You did good, Frank," she handed him a fifty pound note. "Go get yourself a room for the night and something to eat." She frowned severely. "Try to get something nonalcoholic, alright? You drink so much I nearly get a buzz just from being near you."

Frank grinned, showing straight yellow teeth. "I could show you a good time, milady," he said. "Never forget it, you wouldn't."

"I'm sure I wouldn't," Ginny said lips twitching. "Somehow I don't think it'd be the pleasant experience you imply. All the alcohol you drink has probably given you a problem, if you catch my drift."

Frank clapped a hand to his heart. "You wound me," he cried. "I'll have you know I'm a great lover."

"I'm sure you are when your sober. After all, your Father was an incubus. But now, your just a sot. Get out of here and sober up. You're no used to us drunk."

Frank shrugged and began walking down the alley. Before he turned the corner, he looked back. "You be careful, Milady," he warned. "Nothin good ever comes from dealin with wizards."

Ginny watched him leave before turning back to Neville. "Come on," she said curtly. She turned and strode up the steps. The doors swung open without her touching them and she disappeared into the building.

As Neville followed her inside, he nearly screamed as a rat scampered across his foot. The door slammed shut behind them. Ginny led him down a narrow hallway. The paint was pealing, and most of the doors hung lopsided in their frames.

"Why would you have an office here," Neville said wrinkling his nose at the smell of spoiled meat that filled the hallway. "It smells like somebody died in here."

"They probably did. We don't ask questions of the building's other tenants. As for why we have an office here, it insures that no one comes to see us unless they really need to. Besides, most people like us are outcasts. It's easier to find them when you work among them."

"Do you live like them to? What? Do you have a cardboard box somewhere?"

Ginny glared at him. "No, we have a little cottage outside the city. It's not much, but we like it. It's simple which was the way Harry and I were raised."

"You and Evans," Neville said. "I didn't think you two were that close."

"Ten years can change a lot," Ginny said, "not that there was much to change, mind. Harry and I got married as soon as we came of age."

She stopped outside a door that was actually intact. It had all its hinges and the paint was relatively fresh. Pushing the door open, she led the way inside.

A man with short silver hair and emerald green eyes reclined, his feet propped on the desk in front of him. Ginny went around the desk and plopped down in the man's lap, leaning back against him comfortably.

"Evans?" Neville asked.

The man nodded. "Who were you expecting?"

Neville shrugged. "You just looked very different the last time I saw you."

Harry just stared at him. "I've been through some changes, but we're not here to talk about my looks. What do you want? As my wife said, no one comes here unless they're specifically looking for us and I can count on one hand how many visitors we've had from the Wizarding world over the years."

"We have a problem. There's a new threat to the Wizarding world."

"Uh-huh," Harry said. "How is this my problem? As you know, I was forced to leave your world ten years ago. They would've expelled Ginny if Ariana hadn't taken steps to prevent it."

"Your Mother is still a witch."

"Incorrect," Harry said. "My Mother is a Wolfshifter. Wizarding society tolerated her, but you know they never accepted her."

Neville ground his teeth until his jaws ached. "Please," he said softly. "I have a wife and child. I don't want to watch them die. You have no idea how bad it is." He took a deep breath.

"This person is worse than Voldemort ever thought about being. He's targeting everyone. He doesn't care if they are pure-blood or Muggle-born. If they stand up to him, he kills them. Some of the bodies," he swallowed and there was a clicking sound in his throat. "Some of the bodies couldn't be identified they were so badly mangled."

Harry just watched Neville, his face showing nothing. "I feel for you, but what exactly do you want from me. I am only one man. I have no great power that allows me to just snap my fingers and make all your problems go away."

"Your Mother is the true queen of Elphame. Can't she summon aid from the fae? We need help. The auror force has been decimated. We barely have enough to patrol the streets now. The only safe place his Hogwarts and even it has been attacked several times. The wards are holding for now, but I don't know how much longer they'll last. The attacks are increasing in severity each time. Dumbledore is exhausted trying to maintain the wards the castle is full to bursting with those that have lost their homes."

Neville saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw a transparent figure standing beside Harry and Ginny. Long blue hair fell to his shoulders and his golden eyes shone with power.

"Oberon," Neville breathed.

The man smiled sadly. He addressed Neville as if he hadn't spoken.

"I am afraid there is no hope coming from the fae."

Neville's shoulders slumped. "Do you hate the wizards so much that you would watch our race die without intervening?"

"You misunderstand," Oberon said gently. "The spell I used closed the gates to Elphame. I have no doubt that there are fae loyal to Lily. However, in order for them to be able to help, the gates would need to be open which would allow Aeval and her forces to come after my son. I couldn't allow that. I had to protect him."

"But you've cut the fae off from the mortal world," Neville snapped. "If they were here we may have a chance to stop this madness."

"I wasn't thinking clearly at the time," Oberon said defensively. "You have a baby girl now. What would you have done in my place? Lily is powerful, but she can't fight an army of assassins. Harry was just a baby. I admit it may have been hasty, but I did what I thought was best for my family."

"You are a king," Neville growled. "You were supposed to look out for all of your people, not just your family."

"At the time I had no idea how many followers Aeval had. For all I knew, the entirety of Elphame could've turned against me."

"Enough!" Harry bellowed. "Neville, this is getting us nowhere. Look, I don't know if I want to help or not, but give me three days and I'll let you know what I decide."

"Don't know if you'll help," Neville snapped. "What part of he's killing everyone that opposes him don't you understand?"

"My family and I are safe in the mundane world," Harry explained patiently. "I have to think long and hard about whether or not to stick my neck out for a society that never wanted anything to do with me in the first place."

"Is your grudge really more important than innocent lives?"

"No, but how do I know that I won't be arrested once your little problem is taken care of? The Wizarding government is not exactly known for their honesty, are they?"

"You have my word that you won't be prosecuted for any actions you take to stop Abaddon."

"I see," Harry said. "Are you a member of government? Is there any way you can insure that your word is binding?"

"I am the Boy-Who-lived," Neville said. "I have a lot of sway over the government. If I ask, they won't refuse me."

"Sure," Harry said sarcastically. "And how popular are you right now, exactly? I imagine since your new Dark Lord is running around they aren't singing your praises are they? You haven't done anything to stop the current threat have you? Tell me, Neville, has the government started slandering you yet? If so, you're word means next to nothing. No, if I and my family are going to help, I want a magically binding oath that we have diplomatic immunity from any prosecution."

Neville's shoulders slumped. "Alright," he whispered. "Alright, I'll return in three days with the Ministries answer."

 _ **XXX**_

Harry watched Neville leave the office. Once the door had closed behind him, he relaxed. Ginny shifted on his lap. Turning around, she kissed him softly. Pulling back, she looked deep into his eyes.

"Well, that went well."

Harry grunted. "I knew they'd be asking for help soon. I know I should help and if it were just me, I would jump right in, but I don't want to put you or the rest of our family in danger."

Ginny poked him in the ribs. "I am fully capable of taking care of myself you know."

"Never said you weren't," Harry said. "I just don't want to put any of us in a situation where we can be locked up in prison for the rest of our lives."

Ginny stood up. "Come on, we'll go talk to your Mum. She can gather everyone together and we can make a group decision. If we all agree, then we help them. If we don't, then we wait to see what Abaddon is going to do. Sound fair?"

Harry stood up reluctantly. "Sure, but we're going to end up helping them, aren't we?"

Ginny took his hand and began leading him out of the office. "Probably."

 _ **XXX**_

"I'm surprised it took them this long," Lily said stirring her tea. "I really expected them to show up before now."

"Doesn't make it any easier," Harry said. "I'm tempted to just say screw it."

Ginny squeezed his hand. "You know Abaddon isn't going to stop. He'll kill everyone that we care about once he's done with the wizards. Besides, my parents are still in the Wizarding world."

Harry winced. "Sorry Gin, I almost forgot about that."

Hermione looked up from her cup of warm milk. Although Ariana had been able to reverse most of the effects of the Pollyjuice potion, Hermione had been left with some unusual features.

Her eyes were a piercing green and glowed faintly in low light. Her canine teeth were noticeably longer than most of her teeth and her hair had become softer and less wavy than it'd been before. When she spoke, her voice was soft like the mew of a kitten.

"He wants you, but not just you. If what Dumbledore told us all those years ago is true, he wants to destroy the Wizarding world just for the fun of it."

"It's not just that," Luna said taking a bite of a chocolate biscuit. Swallowing, she continued. "He wants to cause as much chaos as possible. He knows he won't be staying here, so he views this world as a toy he can play with. I think he wants to cause a war against Magicals and then leave us to fight among ourselves. Before he can do any of that, he needs to get rid of any opposition."

"Which is why he keeps killing anyone who stands up to him," Lily said. "Does he know you've been inside his head?"

Luna shook her head. "I haven't been inside his head. I wouldn't risk going in there. He'd probably sense me, but one of his companions is damaged. Her mind is fractured by guilt and insanity." She frowned. "Also, there is something really wrong with her soul. It's almost like it has been subsumed by another."

"Subsumed?" Lily questioned. "What do you mean?"

Luna ran her fingers through her dirty blond hair. "It's like she's possessed, but it's unlike any case of possession I've heard of. It's more like there are two souls that have been forcibly merged together. There merged as one, but they are not a single soul. It's more like conjoined twins, rather than a single person."

"Conjoined souls," Lily said thoughtfully. "I've never heard of anything like that before."

"Could this be useful to us somehow?" Harry asked. "I don't know much about mind magic beyond protecting my own thoughts. Did one of the souls try and help you?"

"Perhaps," Luna said. "She definitely reached out. She's scared. Whatever Abaddon's done to her, it was horrible. She did something in the past that causes her great guilt. Abaddon has used that to suppress her in her own body so another soul can take up residence."

"Which one is it?" Ginny asked. "Reports are that he has a red headed companion and a brunette."

"It's the brunette."

"So what do we do?" Harry asked. "I see no way we can talk to her and I think making mental contact would be a very bad idea."

"We have to go back," Lily said.

Harry looked up at her. "What?"

"You heard me. We can't stay on the sidelines any longer. We have to return to the Wizarding world."

Harry rubbed his forehead. "I was afraid you'd say that."

 _ **XXX**_

Dumbledore looked up at the knock on his door. He smiled when he saw Lily and Harry standing there.

"Come in," he said. "Lemon drop?"

Lily shook her head, the corner of her mouth twitching up briefly. "No thanks Albus. How have you been? It's been what? Five years since we've spoken?"

"Thereabouts," Albus said. "Things have been tense. The ministry is hanging on by a thread. Abaddon has more dark creatures and Wizards under his command than Voldemort ever had. Even Muggle-borns are following him. He seems to be gathering support from the impoverished of our community."

"Not surprising," Harry said. "Voldemort tried with the wealthy. If Abaddon tries to gain the support of the poor, he probably thinks they'll be more loyal."

"He may be right," Dumbledore said. "After all, if you have nothing to lose, you can't really go anywhere but up."

"So what's his army look like really?" Lily asked.

"He killed the dementors," Dumbledore said. "We have to be grateful to him for that if nothing else, but he has vampires and shapeshifters under his control."

"Shapeshifters? Like me?" Lily asked.

"Indeed, one of my people reported some kind of cat human hybrid killed a group of aurors about three weeks ago." Dumbledore took off his half-moon spectacles and rubbed his eyes. "Most of the auror force is gone. We're losing. What remains of the aurors is almost ready to quit and I can't say as I blame them. Most of the ones left have families and it's not like the ministry can afford to help pay for funerals these days. It's only a matter of time until he attacks Hogwarts. I don't know how we're going to hold him off when that happens. The wards are strong, but not impenetrable."

"Giving up?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled grimly. "No, I'll fight until my last breath. As bad as things are, there are still students here. We've managed to get most of their families here as well. I have too many people to protect just to give up and die."

Harry grinned. "So we fight. First things first, we need to improve the wards."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I would welcome any suggestions."

"Fae wards?" Lily asked.

"Fae wards," Harry said. "With Ginny and Dumbledore's help, I should be able to create a triumvirate ward."

"Triumvirate ward?"

"It's a ward that requires the magic of three individuals. Nearly impenetrable, but fragile."

"How can it be both," Lily asked.

"SO long as all three of the casters remain alive nothing can get through that defense, but if one of them dies…"

"The ward falls," Dumbledore guest.

Harry nodded. "Exactly."

"We'll need to figure out a way to prevent that," Lily said. "I wonder if there is a way to layer the wards with three people creating each layer. You don't have to be fae to create the wards, right?"

Harry shook his head. He glanced at Dumbledore. "How is Knockturn Alley?"

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose slightly. "That particular part of Diagon Alley is doing just fine. Why do you ask?"

Harry stood up. "Because I think that's where Abaddon is drawing his followers from."

 _ **XXX**_

Harry walked down the iron steps, his feet making a loud clang with each step. He had no sooner reached the bottom, when a tall figure exited the smoke hanging over the room.

His long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. He wore a long black trench coat over a black shirt and black Jeans. His black eyes widened in surprise when he saw who had entered his bar.

"Harry? What are you doing here?"

Harry grinned at Bloodwind. "I know this is where most of the outcasts hang out." He leaned closer. "I also know that this is where Abaddon is drawing most of his stronger followers from."

Bloodwind's eyes narrowed. "Look Harry, I don't want any trouble. This place is neutral ground. There are layers of protections that prevent any violence in this bar."

Harry squeezed Bloodwind's shoulder. "I swear I'm not here to start trouble. I just want to talk."

Bloodwind hesitated. "Alright, but if you break anything, you're paying for it."

"Deal," Harry agreed following Bloodwind into the bar proper.

The bar was a simple low stone room. Torches hung on the walls and old fashioned oil lamps dangled from chains on the ceiling. The torches and the lamps burned with an unnatural blue flame. A long oak bar took up one side of the room. The knots and rough look of the wood told Harry it'd been carved from a single tree.

"Wow," he said gesturing at the bar. "Where'd you find a hunk of wood that big?"

Bloodwind grinned. "That's what she said."

Harry clapped a hand to his forehead. "I walked right into that one."

"Yes, you did. To answer your question, that particular tree grew down in the goblin mines. When they forced me to leave; I went back and… procured it."

Harry started to ask how goblins could get an oak tree to grow without any sunlight, but decided it wasn't important. As he took a seat at the bar, the entire room went deathly quiet.

Turning around, Harry saw vampires, werewolves, and not a few half-goblins staring at him. He raised a hand, palm out in a nonthreatening gesture. "How've you guys been?"

There was no answer. Harry slowly stood up from his stool, tension tightening every muscle. "I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk."

A vampire stepped towards him, his fangs glinting in the torchlight. His brown eyes turned crimson. As Harry watched, what little color was in his face drained away giving him a skull-like appearance. "What if we don't want to talk?" he hissed. "What if we just want to drag you down and take you to Abaddon? He's looking for you, you know."

"Really?" Harry said casually. "Follower of his are you?"

The vampire lifted his chin. "Yeah, he promises us equality."

"Right," Harry said. "And how many other dark lords have promised that over the centuries? Let me guess, all of them. Face it, you've been manipulated this hole time. No dark Lord has ever intended to keep their word. You and every other dark creature in this place are just cannon fodder."

"Oh yeah and I suppose you have an answer to that do you?"

Harry drew a slim silver dagger from his pocket. He ran the blade over his palm, leaving a thin line of blood behind. "I, Harry Oberon Evans, swear to give any dark creature that will not follow Abaddon a place in Elphame. I swear this oath by blood and magic."

The blood on his palm lit up with a sickly red light. The light wrapped around his wrist before fading.

The vampire stared at him, eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Harry said. "The Unseelie court in particular has a habit of taking in outcasts. So long as you aren't human, and werewolves, vampires, and every other creature in this bar fits that qualification. All you have to do is not fight Abaddon."

About half of the creatures were nodding. The other half refused to look at him. Harry's tone turned hard.

"I've offered you the carrot, now I offer you the stick. If you choose to fight against us, you will die. Think about it, I'm not even asking you to fight alongside us. I'm just asking you to not fight against us. This is not your war, not really. Just stay out of it and you can have a home where you will be accepted."

The vampire nodded. "I am Xavier, master of my clan. I cannot speak for everyone here, but I give you my word that I will not fight against you." He glared around at the other vampires in the bar. "None of my clan will unless they want to deal with me."

A man wearing a leather jacket stood. "My name is Hadrian Lycas. I give you my word that my pack will not follow Abaddon. If there is a chance that we can survive, I want my people to do so."

"Thank you," Harry said. He looked around at the other patrons of the bar. "If Xavier and Hadrian agree, they will be my representatives. Give them your oath that you will not fight and you can have a home with us."

"Why," a large man with stringy grey hair snarled. "Even if we do move in with the fae, they'll just persecute us like everyone else. No thanks, I'll stick with Abaddon. At least he's not a coward. You just don't want us to fight because you know you'll lose if we do."

Harry ignored the man. He turned to face Bloodwind. "I'm outta here. If you need anything let me know."

Bloodwind nodded. "You got it."

 _ **XXX**_

As Harry exited the bar, he found himself staring down the business end of a wand.

"Evans," Lucius Malfoy purred. "You're coming with us. Our master wants to talk to you."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

Harry gazed at Lucius Malfoy. The once healthy looking man was scrawny. His black robes hung loosely on his frame. His white blond hair was streaked liberally with grey. A pair if stylish black rimmed spectacles perched on his nose.

"Well, the last ten years haven't been kind to you have they? Which master are you serving now? I only ask because you used to be Voldemort's lapdog, but now Voldemort's dead so…" He let the sentence hang in the air.

Lucius took a step forward. His knuckles whitened as the grip on his wand tightened. "No games Evans. My master Abaddon wants you and he wants you now."

Harry leaned back against the wall of the bar his hands loose at his sides. "I'm married you know. Besides, I don't swing that way. I'm afraid your master is going to be disappointed."

One of the Death Eaters standing behind Lucius stepped closer. "This is not a request," he snapped. "You can come with us willingly or things will get nasty."

Harry looked at the people lined up behind Lucius. There were only twelve of them and all were men. All wore shabby robes which marked them as from the poorer class. Glancing back at Lucius, he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised at you. I never thought you'd be hanging with people you viewed as below you."

Lucius's wand lifted. "Last chance Evans. I know you can't take all of us. You're good, but not that good."

Harry turned his palm towards Lucius. "We'll see about that. A beam of light left his palm. Lucius ducked and the light punched a hole through the chest of the man standing directly behind him. The man made a gurgling sound and collapsed.

Wasting no time, Harry ducked into an alley. He had to work fast. Pulling a simple magic marker from his pocket, he drew four runes on the brick wall beside him.

The first three Death Eaters rushed into the alley. The leader grinned. "Found you." He raised his wand.

"You sure did," Harry said cheerfully. "Guess what you've won?"

The leader looked confused. "What?"

Harry touched the first rune with one finger. A lightning bolt flared up at the entrance of the alley. The three men barely had time to begin to scream. There was a thud. A smell like roasted pork filled the air. Looking up, Harry noticed another group of four men standing just outside the alley, eyes wide in horror.

Harry touched the second rune and pointed a finger at the men. There was a rumbling sound and the earth under their feet split. The men screamed as they fell into the widening hole. They tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing to grab. The earth closed with a rumble.

Lucius stood far back from the entrance of the alley with his last four men. "This isn't over," he bellowed. "You can't hide behind your little runes forever."

Before Harry could retort, the four men turned and began to run away.

There was a blur of motion and the man at the back collapsed, blood spurting from his neck. His head rolled away, eyes staring.

Lucius looked back in time for another of his men to collapse, blood gushing from his sliced throat. Without hesitation, he turned on one foot and vanished, leaving the last two men to take a knife to the chest and get disemboweled respectively.

Harry came walking out of the alley to join Bloodwind.

"Thanks," he said stepping up beside him.

Bloodwind slipped his long knife back into its scabbard. "No one messes with my customers." He looked around at the bodies. "Do you have plans for those?"

"Not really. It's not like I can take them back to their families. Why do you ask?"

Bloodwind lifted a hand and all the bodies along with various severed pieces rose into the air. "I get ghouls in occasionally. They like finger foods and I should be able to get a few pints of blood out of what's left of these guys. Bloody Maries are a real hit with the vampires."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, couldn't think of anything, and closed it. Bloodwind started walking back towards the entrance to his bar. At the door he turned back. "If anymore of Abaddon's followers come looking for you, feel free to kill them here. I can't go looking for supplies like this and I don't buy it, so when I'm able to provide my customers with stuff like this it's a real treat."

The heavy iron door closed behind him with a crash. Harry stood staring at the door for several moments. Finally, he shook himself and turned away. He needed to get back to Hogwarts and tell everyone what happened.

 _ **XXX**_

"Did you have the authority to offer the dark creatures a home like that?" Dumbledore asked.

"I am the heir to the throne of Elphame," harry said. "The Unseelie queen will not object."

"Have you forgotten that the gates to Elphame are shut?"

"I'll figure that out once Abaddon is taken care of."

"That was nice of Bloodwind to take the bodies for you," Hermione said.

"Yeah, nice," Harry said. "Pretty sure he's going to be serving them to his customers."

Hermione looked at Harry strangely. "I agree that it's disgusting, but he's not human is he? He's a goblin elf hybrid. Besides, ghouls and vampires aren't human, not really, so it's not exactly cannibalism."

"Still too close for comfort," Harry said.

Lily and Ginny both nodded.

"It'd be like eating house elves," Dumbledore said with a shudder.

"And on that note, I think it's time for bed," Lily said. "We'll help you strengthen the wards in the morning."

"Thank you," Dumbledore said. "We'll you be staying here?"

"I think that'd be best," Harry said. The more we travel back and forth, the more likely it'd be that we were followed home."

Dumbledore snapped his fingers. A House Elf appeared beside him and bowed.

"Yes Headmaster," it said in slightly accented but perfectly intelligible English."

"Please show our guests to the guest rooms."

The House elf nodded and gestured for Harry and the others to follow him. "I'll see you all in the morning," Dumbledore said as they reached the door.

"Good night, headmaster," Lily said as the door closed behind them.

 _ **XXX**_

In a large manor on the outskirts of London, Abaddon scowled at Lucius's retreating back.

"Twelve," he hissed. "Twelve of our followers are dead. That was the last of Voldemort's old supporters. Where are we supposed to find more idiots to serve us?"

The brunette smiled slightly. "There are always idiots to serve us if we know where to look."

XXX

Deep in her mind, another presence woke up. Her bushy brown hair flowed down her back. She had to escape somehow. What was she going to do?

A figure shimmered into view in front of her. Her golden hair was tied back in a braid that hung halfway down her back. Her blue eyes were like two chips of ice. "Hermione, we've talked about this," she said patiently. "You can't escape me. Our souls are tied together."

"You are a monster," Hermione said. "I may have betrayed Harry in my world. I am guilty of the sin of mistrusting my friend, but what he's done is inexcusable. He's destroying worlds because one version of the supposed light side betrayed him. He's not only punishing innocent people. He's punishing people that had nothing to do with our war."

"Albus was responsible for my murder in our original world."

"And that gives you the right to steal my body? I was forced to watch as Harry AKA Abaddon mind controlled my parents, murdered Ron, and made it look like I committed those crimes. My betrayal is reprehensible, but nothing gave him the right to bring my parents into the fight."

"He gave them a quick death," the golden haired girl said.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? There is nothing left for us in our world. I may not have a home anymore. My world may be gone, but you forgot one thing."

"Oh?"

"I have nothing to lose," Hermione said solemnly. "I may not be able to do it in this world or even the next one, but I will stop you and Abaddon."

"And what then?" the girl asked. "There is already a version of you in this world. What? Do you think they will welcome you with open arms? Besides, your soul is severely damaged now. Even if you managed to get rid of me, whom you won't, you'd probably spend the rest of your life in a coma somewhere."

"That doesn't matter," Hermione said. "I have to make up for my mistakes. I have to do what is right for once instead of what is easy. I'm done dwelling on my past. I will stop you even if I spend the rest of eternity as a fading spirit."

The golden haired girl turned and began to walk away. Before she vanished into the surrounding mist, she looked back over her shoulder. "You can try, but you will never succeed. Your body is mine Hermione Granger."

Hermione watched the usurper of her body vanish. "I pity you Ariana, but nothing justifies your actions against innocent people."

 _ **XXX**_

Neville smiled as he opened the door to his quarters. "Harry, Lily, come on in."

Harry and Lily entered the sitting room and looked around at the chairs and sofa around the room. Each piece of furniture was made of wood with leather cushions on them.

James and Alice stood up from the sofa. "Lily," Alice said stepping forward to hug her. "How've you been? What's it been, twenty years?"

Lily hugged her back. "There about. You and James," she gestured at the ring on Alice's left hand.

"Yes, we got married about two years after Frank's death. He's been a good Father to Neville and I'm sure he'll be a good Father to the new Potter coming along," she patted her stomach smiling at James lovingly.

"Congratulations," Lily said warmly. "I'm so happy for you."

As Alice and Lily talked, Harry was walking around the sitting room using one clawed finger to carve runes into the walls.

"I didn't know your claws were sharp enough to cut stone," James said walking over to join him.

"Yeah, elven wards are a sequence of runes with a master rune. Usually, you need a special tool to carve these runes because you have to infuse the rune with magic as you carve it, but my claws work just fine.

Jumping into the air, Harry carved one large rune that looked like an ankh with a sword on the end of it into the ceiling. Placing his hand flat on the rune, he closed his eyes and reached out for the nearest ley line. The runes carved into the walls flared blue before shrinking. James had to step close enough that his nose nearly touched the wall before he could make out the runes.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The wards are active. It's a design built into elven runes. When the rune is activated, it shrinks so it is harder to erase.

"That's handy," a young woman said exiting another room. She brushed blond hair out of her face and kissed Neville on the cheek.

Neville slipped an arm around her. "This is my wife Hannah"

"Pleasure," Harry said bowing slightly.

Hannah smiled at him. "How good are these wards?"

"Well, the castle could blow up and your quarters would still be standing," Harry said with a slight smirk. "Is that good enough for you?"

Hannah tilted her head. "It'll do I suppose."

"How's rose?" Neville asked.

"Sleeping for once," Hannah said. "Hopefully she won't wake up for a while."

Before anyone could say a word, a silvery phoenix appeared in the room. "We are under attack," the phoenix said in Dumbledore's voice. "Harry, we need you and your family to report to my office immediately."

 _ **XXX**_

Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Luna appeared in Dumbledore's office.

"What are we facing?" Harry asked.

"Vampires, werewolves, and wraiths."

"Wraiths?" Luna asked.

"They're spirit creatures. They can't be harmed by magic or weapons, but can somehow rip flesh from bone. The only known way to kill them is with fire."

Hermione's green cat eyes blazed. "Don't worry Dumbledore," she said. "We'll take care of this."

"What?"

Harry ignored the old man. "Luna is there anything else with the invaders?"

"There are wizards," Luna said.

"How many?"

"Half a dozen," Luna answered.

"Alright," Harry said. "Hermione, take care of the vampires. Ginny, take the werewolves. I'll deal with the wraiths."

"What about me?" Luna asked.

Harry smiled nastily. "You get the wizards."

"Goody," Luna said bouncing on her feet happily.

"Wait, you can't…" Dumbledore began.

"Shh," Harry said holding up a hand. "It'll be fine, trust me."

Before Dumbledore could say or do anything else, the four had turned and left the office.

 _ **XXX**_

Ginny looked out at the werewolves prowling around the castle. To her surprise, most of them were in a half-wolf form.

Their noses and mouths had been fused together to form a snout. These deformed jaws protruded from their still mostly human faces slightly like spoiled fruit growing out of clean soil. Their hands were covered in fur. Each finger was tipped with a razor sharp claw. Their clothes were torn to rags fur sticking out of the split cloth.

"Wow," Ginny said. "You bitches are ugly."

The largest of the beasts stepped forward, his white teeth gleaming in the sunlight. "Ah, a little bit of fluff for us to devour." His voice was like the squeal of puppies being boiled alive. He licked his muzzle. "Maybe we can have a bit of fun with you first."

Ginny reached into the cloak she wore and drew two heavy revolvers. The grips were made of oak and the blue grey steel of the barrels and cylinders were etched with runes. She thumb cocked the pistols.

"You guys aren't worth the expenditure of magic, so I'm going to use the presents my husband gave me last Christmas."

"A Muggle gun," the big werewolf said curling his lip. "Those can't harm us."

"No?" Ginny asked. She pulled the trigger of the gun in her right hand. There was a boom like thunder. Blue fire licked at the air at the end of the barrel and the werewolf staggered backwards, his eyes wide. Blood leaked from a ragged hole in his stomach. He stared down at the pink intestines poking out of the hole.

"How… What…?" He spluttered.

Ginny didn't answer. Instead, she pointed the gun in her left hand at the werewolf's head. "I don't think you're gonna heal from this."

There was another boom and the werewolf's head exploded in a flurry of fur, blood, and bone.

Ginny cocked the pistols. "So," she said cheerfully. "Who's next?"

XXX

Luna skipped towards the six wizards, smiling brightly.

"Hello," she called. "Are you wanting inside Hogwarts?"

The wizards shifted uneasily. Finally, a scrawny man with greasy black hair and a crooked nose stepped forward. "Well," he said shifting from foot to foot as if he had to pee. "We've been told to err, invade Hogwarts."

"Why?" Luna asked, her bottom lip jutting forward. Her silvery blue eyes filled with tears. "You're not going to hurt us are you?"

The leader squirmed. He scratched his head and stared down at his feet. His cheeks flushing red. "Our master Abaddon has instructed us to kill everyone that will not submit to his rule, so I'm afraid that's what we're going to do."

Luna looked at the six wizards before her. Their robes were torn and dirty and hung loosely on their bodies. From several feet away, she could smell the stench of unwashed flesh. "What did you do before joining Abaddon's army?" she asked with a frown. "You don't seem like bad people."

The lead wizard looked up at her. "We're not. We weren't Death Eaters or anything. We just wanted to be treated equally. We were all Muggle-born you see. We were all looked down on by society. Abaddon came to us and offered us an alternative to being pushed around."

"Have you killed people?" Luna asked.

"Only those that deserved it."

"I see, so Death Eaters or Voldemort supporters?"

"Well no, but we did kill pure-blood."

"I'm pure-blood," Luna pointed out. "If you kill me based on my birth, what makes you any better than the Death Eaters?"

"We do what has to be done," the lead wizard said. For the first time he showed real anger. "We've talked long enough. Stand aside or you'll get hurt."

"The Death Eaters thought they had to do what needed to be done as well. You can't see it, but you are Abaddon's Death Eaters. Walk away or you will die. This is your last warning."

"There are six of us and one of you little girl. What are you going to do?"

"Luna's silvery blue eyes changed from sad to flinty in a moment. "I gave you a choice, but you wouldn't listen," she whispered. A single tear ran down her cheek. "People like you never listen."

From behind him, the leader heard shouts of alarm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw flashes of green light. Turning around, he saw tall humanoid lizard things where his men once were. Panicked, he drew his wand and began shooting blasting curses at the monsters. He didn't see the killing curse that slammed into the side of his head.

Luna watched the six wizards fall one by one. Some had killed each other with killing curses. Others had used blasting curses and cutting curses. Regardless of the spells used, the results were the same. All six wizards were dead.

Turning, Luna began walking back towards the castle. Lily had been right all those years ago. Her greatest magical talent was her ability to affect the minds of her opponents and make them see what she wanted them to see. She hated to kill, but every time she gave her foes a choice; they always chose to fight. In the distance, she heard the sound of gunfire and howls of pain. It sounded like Ginny was having fun. She would go back to the castle and wait for her family to return.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry looked at the wraiths. They were naught but shadows. He caught the glimpse of a claw or a pair of red eyes, but the rest of their forms appeared to be living mist. The mist writhed and shifted into various shapes. Sometimes it was barbed tentacles. At other times Harry thought he saw the hind legs of goats.

Suddenly, a tentacle shot out and tried to wrap around his waist. Harry flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding the lashing appendage.

Harry turned his hand flat his palm facing the sky. A ball of fire formed in his palm. Tapping a ley line, Harry fed more and more power into the ball. The fireball grew from the size of a marble until it was at least three yards across. It spun lazily above his palm, sparks arcing off in all directions.

Harry pushed his hand forward. The ball of fire flew at the mist engulfing the wraiths in seconds. There was a sound like a hundred tea kettles whistling at once. When the flames faded, only a few streams of vapor remained. These soon fell apart in the cool morning air.

Harry stood staring at the spot where the wraiths had been for several moments. Once he was sure they were gone for good, he turned and headed towards Ginny. He had to make sure she was alright. Sure she could take care of herself, but things could go wrong.

 _ **XXX**_

Ginny heard the click as her guns landed on empty chambers. The remaining two werewolves grinned.

"What are you going to do now little girl," the werewolf on the left said with a smirk.

Ginny calmly holstered her guns. "Nothing much," she said. "Just this."

The werewolves opened their mouths, but all that came out were squeaks. They looked at each other. The air around them shimmered. The girl seemed to grow until she was several stories high. Looking around, the rocks had grown and now looked like giant boulders.

The werewolf looked at his companion. TO his shock, he stared into the beady eyes of a mouse. "What the…" he tried to say, but all that came out was series of squeaks.

His words were silenced when an enormous shoe smashed down upon him.

The other werewolf/mouse tried to run, but met the same fate as his erstwhile companion.

Ginny watched as the crushed mice turned back into a bloody mess of crushed human limbs. Grimacing, she clicked her fingers. The werewolves vanished. She heard a chuckle behind her and turned to see Harry grinning at her.

"That was certainly creative."

"Thank you, I try," Ginny said looking down demurely.

"Come on," Harry said taking her hand. "Let's go and see if Hermione needs help."

 _ **XXX**_

Hermione grinned at the vampires facing her. Their fangs gleamed in the morning sun. Their fingers sprouted long curved claws. Their faces shifted, ears becoming pointed and jaws lengthening.

"Well," she said drawing a machete from behind her back. The long steel blade was engraved with glyphs and runes. "I give you one chance. "Run away or else."

"Or else what?" a vampire at the back of the group shouted.

The blade of the machete blazed with flame. "Or else heads will roll."

Hermione became a blur. The machete flicked out; the fiery blade severed the closest vampire's head at the base of the neck. As the head fell to the ground, the body burst into flames. Within seconds, all that was left was a pile of ash.

Hermione reappeared in front of the vampires. "Anyone else?"

The vampires charged. There was a flurry of claws, snapping fangs, and a flashing steel blade. The air was filled with snarls, screams, and yells.

Hermione threw back her head, laughing manically as black vampire blood splashed across her face. She never felt so alive as when she was facing down her enemies. A vampire grabbed her shoulder. Twisting, Hermione flipped the vampire over her shoulder and plunged the machete into his waist.

There was a wet squelching sound. The vampire's top half slid away from his bottom half and fell to the ground with a splat. Raising her right hand, she touched a finger to the metal band on her left wrist.

The band was solid silver etched with thousands of runes. The rune she touched glowed. There was a flash of light and a sound like a canon blast. For a second, everything was silent. It was as if the world was holding its breath; then the air was filled with the pattering sound of tiny chunks of vampire falling to the ground.

Hermione calmly tucked her machete away and started back towards the castle. She smiled as she saw Harry and Ginny coming towards her.

"So you didn't need any help," Harry said.

"Nope," Hermione said cheerfully.

 _ **XXX**_

"You really didn't need any help," Dumbledore said eyes wide.

"These guys were just the grunts. I seriously doubt they were the best Abaddon had to offer.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "Can you strengthen the wads soon? I won't ask you to do it today, but we need stronger wards soon. I know you strengthened the wards in Neville's quarters. Could you do that for the whole castle?"

"No, it'd take too long," Harry said.

"I see. Is there any way you can strengthen the wards for the entire castle?"

"Sure," Harry said, "but I'll need Hermione, Mum, Ginny, Luna, and your help. I'll also need to get some supplies, so I won't be able to put up the wards until tomorrow."

"Alright," Dumbledore said. "What are we going to do?"

"We are going to create a double layered triumvirate ward. "So long as three of the six participants are alive; the ward will not fall."

"When will we begin?"

"We'll perform the spell first thing in the morning."

XXX

Later that night, Harry was walking the grounds. He breathed deeply enjoying the cool crisp air. In the distance, he could hear the burbling sound of the Black lake.

Ginny stepped up beside him, kissing his cheek. "Nutt for your thoughts."

"I'm just wondering how to fight Abaddon. "He's strong, but I have to wonder if we aren't overestimating him a bit. I'd like to know how many people he's killed over the years."

"A lot," Ginny said.

Harry's lips twitched. "Obviously."

"He's going to be tougher than you think," Ginny said.

Harry turned to look at her. His eyes widened as her finger glowed red. He tried to raise a shield, but was too late to avoid the stunning spell that struck him in the forehead.

 _ **XXX**_

Ginny dropped Harry in front of Abaddon. "He let his guard down just as you thought he would."

"Good," Abaddon said. "How strong are his shields?"

"Very strong. I'll need time if I'm going to get through them."

"Work quickly. It won't be long before they notice he's missing. I want to know everything about him."

Ginny nodded. "Yes, my love. It will be done."

Abaddon leaned forward and kissed her fiercely. "Don't be too tired," he whispered in her ear. "I want to spend some quality time with you tonight."

Ginny's eyes gleamed. "I can't wait."

She watched as Abaddon left the room before turning to Harry. Staring at him, she concentrated. She slowly extended her magic and began to attack his mental shields. After several hours of constant work, she felt the shields weaken slightly.

"It's time to see what your secrets are," she whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

Harry nearly screamed as consciousness returned. The pain in his wrists was almost unbearable. Looking down, he saw nails had been driven through his wrists and into the stone wall behind him. Where his blood touched the gleaming iron, the metal smoked as if it had been dipped in acid.

Harry reached out with his magic trying to push the iron out of his skin. Sparks flew off the metal. Harry's back arched as if he touched a live wire. Every muscle locked. After what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than a few moments, Harry's muscles unclenched.

"That didn't look pleasant at all," a cultured voice said. "I doubt you'll be trying that again."

Harry looked up to see a man with untidy black hair and emerald green eyes walk into the room. The man wasn't muscular, but possessed a thin wiry build that seemed to be adapted for speed rather than strength.

"Abaddon I presume," Harry said trying to keep his voice calm.

The man smiled and bowed mockingly. "You are correct sir. I usually don't converse with my counterparts before I kill them, but you intrigue me."

"Counterparts? Were you dropped on your head as a child?"

"No, but I was hit in the head with a killing curse."

"Yeah well, I was hit with a killing curse to, but I didn't decide to pull a pinky and the brain and try to take over the world."

Abaddon's lips twitched. "Actually, I'd probably be more like a Lord Zed. I want to destroy the world or at least kill all my counterparts."

"Wasn't that a movie? What else did you steal ideas from?"

"Hey, if it's a good idea, why not use it?"

"Assuming I believe you, why would you want to kill your counterparts? They've done nothing to you."

"True, but they also have this habit of trying to stop me when I invade their world. Trust me, I've seen many variations. I saw one world where we joined Voldemort. I saw another where our counterpart was gay and ended up with Draco Malfoy. By far the most err unusual world was one where we married Ginny and named out son Albus Severus Potter." He smiled widely.

"I took great pleasure in killing that version of me. I mean Albus Severus? Why didn't we just add Tom Marvolo to the name and be done with it. Then the poor bastard would have the name of all the people that ruined our life." He sighed mockingly. "And that version of me and his son had just made up to. So tragic when lives are cut short."

"What are you talking about? Dumbledore hasn't done anything to you. Sure he can be a secretive manipulative son of a bitch, but he hasn't tried to control my or your life."

"Not in this world, but Dumbledore can't be trusted. In my home world I was locked in Azkaban because it was assumed I killed my relatives. Only Ginny stood beside me. The rest of my friends abandoned me. It was then that I realized that Voldemort was right in a sense. There was no true good and evil, only stupid morals that we humans try to live by. Unfortunately for humanity, those morals change like the wind.

Ginny helped me escape from Azkaban with some Muggle weapons. After I took my revenge on those who betrayed me and killed Voldemort on general principle. I decided to travel to different worlds. I took on the name Abaddon because I was once of the light, but fell to the darkness."

"Cute story, but it doesn't explain why you decided it'd be fun to kill the alternate versions of yourself."

Abaddon shrugged. "Power. I learned that I could kill my alternate selves and take their magic for my own. No matter which world we are in, one thing remains clear. We are a powerful wizard. I've killed three different versions of myself and you'd be surprised how much power I gained."

"You sure love hearing yourself talk don't you?"

Ginny appeared from the shadows. Seeing her, Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yours?"

Abaddon wrapped an arm around her. "Mine," he said possessively. "She's gained a taste for murdering her alternate selves. She especially hates those worlds where she is a money hungry potion using slut. So far, she's only got to kill one of those versions of herself, but there are many worlds."

"I can understand that, but even the slutty versions of her deserve to live. I don't like the idea of a homosexual version of myself out there, but it's not my place to kill him. She tricked me using glamour. She's shorter than mine and not as hot."

Abaddon's arm tightened around Ginny. "That's your opinion."

"So the brunette is Hermione?"

"Yes and no. You see she was one of the ones that betrayed me, but she was… persuaded she made a mistake. Her body is now being used to host another one of my supporters. Don't worry, she's still in there. She knows everything that is happening, but can't do anything about it. I didn't plan it that way. Hell, when her body's new owner took up residents Hermione was insane, but she has a stronger mind than I gave her credit for. She's regained her mind now."

"Well, you sure are a vindictive arsehole aren't you? I guess this is the part where I say things like, err let me see, you won't get away with this. The light will prevail or good will always triumph."

Abaddon chuckled. "You certainly have a lot of spunk. I'm going to miss you when you're dead."

Harry's jaws slammed together as pain racked his body. His muscles clenched and unclenched uncontrollably. It felt as if hot coals had been placed underneath his skin. Slowly, the pain subsided.

"Was that fun?" Abaddon asked cheerfully. "I'm surprised. Usually I get a bit more of a reaction by this point. Ah well, I guess I'll just have to try harder. Don't worry, I'll make you scream."

Harry coughed and spat a glob of blood onto the floor. "You're not going to buy me dinner first. Man, I've heard of cheap dates, but you take the cake."

Abaddon's eye twitched. Electricity leapt from his fingers. Harry writhed under the assault. His skin blackened and charred, his body convulsed, and all the hairs of his body stood on end.

When Abaddon stopped, he stared at him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Interesting," he murmured stroking his chin.

Harry looked up at him. His vision was blurred and he had trouble focusing.

"You're healing. As fast as I hurt you, your wounds vanish." With a flick of his fingers, the nails jerked out of Harry's wrists.

Harry felt the wounds close. He flexed his hands, but the muscles merely twitched and shook violently. Looking down, he saw that although the wounds had closed, the skin was red, raw and shiny. It would take more time for his wounds to completely heal. He tried to stand, but his legs shook violently.

"I'm going to take you to a cell and observe you. You may be useful to me after all."

"Oh boy," Harry groaned.

He tried to stand again, and almost made it, until Abaddon made a shoving motion with is hand, slamming him back to the floor. "Stay down, I think I like you where you are. I'm going to enjoy ripping the flesh from your bones, just to see how well you heal."

Abaddon's hand began to glow. "Fortunately for you, I want to give you some time to rest, so enjoy your little nap."

 _ **XXX**_

"What do you mean he's missing," Ginny screamed.

"The wards alerted me to his disappearance a few hours ago," Dumbledore explained patiently.

"And you're just telling us this now," Lily growled.

"I thought he might have gone on a mission."

"We have to find him," Ginny said frantically.

"We will," Lily said soothingly.

"Can Fawkes help?" Hermione asked.

"That is a good idea," Dumbledore said. He turned to his familiar.

"Fawkes, can you find Harry?"

The phoenix trilled before vanishing in a flash of fire.

He reappeared a few seconds later, half his feathers burned off. He hit the floor with a pitiful squeak and lay there, eyes glazed.

Luna looked down at Fawkes. "I think he was blocked," she said picking him up and beginning to heal him.

Fawkes gave her a grateful look before closing his amber eyes.

 _ **XXX**_

"Fascinating," Ginevra said as she watched the gash she'd made in Harry's chest heal seamlessly.

Harry strained against his invisible bonds, but to no avail.

"Oh, your adorable," Ginevra said. "You just don't stop fighting do you?"

He had begun thinking of his wife's evil counterpart as Ginevra in order to differentiate her from his wife.

"I'm glad you think so," he said. Concentrating, Harry extended the nails on his left hand. He felt them change into curved razor sharp claws.

"Yes," Ginevra continued as if he hadn't spoken. "You're like the stories Muggles have about werewolves."

Ginevra conjured an ax. "I am curious if you can regrow limbs."

Harry's eyes widened. "Pretty sure I can't do that."

"Let's find out." She swung the ax down at his leg.

Harry rolled bringing up his clawed hand to block the swing of the ax. The ax struck his claws in a shower of sparks. The invisible bonds binding him vanished in a shower of blue light.

"Oh good," Ginevra said smiling widely. "You do have a little fight left in you."

Harry growled. His ears became more pointed and wolf-like and his teeth became fangs. "I've got more than a little fight left," he said.

Ginevra waved her hand causing the ax to vanish. "Well good, I was hoping you wouldn't just lay there and let me torture you."

Her right hand flew up, a blasting curse leaving her fingertips.

Harry ducked. The curse smashed into the wall behind him, showering him with stone chips. He gestured at Ginny, sending a wall of flame towards her.

Ginevra hastily conjured a shield to block the flames. "Not bad…" she began and was promptly interrupted when a stone fist popped out of the floor and slammed into her face.

She flew backwards smashing into the stone wall. Turning her head, she spat out a tooth and a mouthful of blood.

"That does it," she snarled. "No more miss nice girl."

"Wasn't aware you were being nice," Harry said.

"Well now you are about to learn different." Five killing curses flew towards Harry's head.

A wall of crystal appeared in front of the spells. Ginevra's eyes widened as the curses were reflected back at her. She ducked and rolled barely avoiding her own rebounded spells.

The crystal wall melted and shifted, becoming a unicorn that charged at her. She screamed as the horn plunged through her right wrist pinning her to the wall.

She stared up at Harry, her eyes wide. "How can you hurt me like this? I am your wife."

"No you're not. You smell too fishy to be my Ginny."

Ginevra's eyes narrowed. With a wet squelching sound, she ripped her arm free of the wall. Ignoring the blood leaking from her arm, she took a step towards him.

"I've played with you long enough. Abaddon usually likes killing you, but I think I'll do the honors this time. I'm sure he won't mind."

"No," a voice said from the doorway.

They both turned to see the blue-eyed Hermione standing there.

"What do you mean no?" Ginevra growled.

"Just what I said," blue-eyes said. "You know the rules. We can only kill our counterparts. Besides, Abaddon is intrigued by this one."

"Why?" Ginevra said. "He can heal himself. What use is that for us?"

"Because we are still susceptible to aging and death, but if we can replicate his healing ability, we could gain immortality."

"Fine," Ginevra said walking towards the door. "I'm going to go heal myself. What are you going to do?"

The Hermione look alike smiled. "I'm going to chat with Harry here. I have an idea, but I need to run some tests. If what I believe is true, you might not want to cause him any more injuries than you already have."

Ginevra scowled, but left the cell slamming the door behind her. As soon as her footsteps could no longer be heard, Hermione convulsed. Her blue eyes turned to a chocolate brown. She put out a hand and nearly fell.

Without thinking, Harry caught her and gently lowered her to the ground. "What the hell?"

"Ariana always did underestimate me," Hermione panted.

"Ariana?"

"Yes, her spirit took over my body after I was driven insane. She's been keeping me around to insure she could stay in my body."

"So you aren't really Abaddon's puppet?"

"Not willingly." She looked down at the ground. "I deserve this. I betrayed him, sent him to Azkaban. I didn't believe him. It is my fault he turned into the monster he is."

"No," Harry said firmly. "You did betray him, but the only one responsible for Abaddon's choices is Abaddon."

"But everyone betrayed him," Hermione wailed. "Everyone left him. It's our fault."

"He could've left," Harry said. "He could have escaped and left you all to deal with Voldemort. It's what I'd have done."

Hermione looked at Harry her eyes wide. "You are different."

Harry smiled kindly at her. "I've had an insane fae queen trying to kill me all my life. To make matters even worse, the Wizarding world has hated me because my Father closed the gates of Elphame. I understand betrayal. For a long time, I was bitter at the Wizarding world, but then I realized something."

"What's that?" Hermione breathed.

"People can only make decisions with the information they are given. Whether Muggle or Wizard, the media can't be trusted to tell you the whole story. It is up to people to do the research and pick the wheat from the chaff. Now in the Muggle world this can be done, but in the Wizarding world, there is one news publication in Great Britain and that is The Daily Prophet. The Daily Prophet is about as honest as your average politician, so the Wizarding public can't exactly be blamed for being brainless sheep. It doesn't excuse their actions, but it does explain them."

"What does that have to do with Abaddon and myself?"

"You betrayed him, but he took his rage out on multiple worlds. I can understand revenging himself on those that betrayed him, but he's been punishing multiple worlds for his imprisonment. You've suffered enough I think. What say we get out of here?"

"But Ariana may take control of me again," Hermione said worriedly. "Besides, she said my soul was damaged and I wouldn't survive her leaving my body."

"Well, I have good news and bad news," Harry said.

"Oh?"

"The good news is that your soul is fine."

"And the bad news?"

"Ariana's going to get your body, but I can get you out of here. Are you interested?"

"How?" Hermione asked.

"Got a knife?" Harry asked.

XXX

Dumbledore sighed in disappointment as Luna sat Fawkes back on his perch.

"Couldn't find him?" he asked the bird.

Fawkes gave Dumbledore a look that asked more plainly than words, "are you an idiot?"

Dumbledore winced. "Sorry," he said stroking the bird's head.

"How are we going to find him now?" Lily asked.

Dumbledore looked up at the ceiling. "Oberon," he called.

 _ **XXX**_

"What are you planning?" Hermione asked nervously as she handed Harry a silver dagger.

In answer, Harry carved a rune in the shape of a cup in his arm. Pressing two fingers to the bloody cut, he concentrated. The smell of burning flesh filled the cell. When he took his fingers away, the wound had turned into a scar burned into his flesh. "I've never actually tried this before, but the theory is sound."

"Theory?" Hermione squeaked.

"Relax, this should work fine."

"Should?"

"This is a containment rune. It allows a person to contain another's soul in their body. With this, I can carry you out of here."

"What then?"

"I'm pretty sure my Hermione will consent for you to merge with her. She will be the dominant soul since she was born in this world, but at least you will exist. What do you say? Are you in?"

"What do I have to do?" Hermione asked.

Harry took her hand, pressing their forearms together. The rune on his arm began to glow. A blinding white light filled the cell and Hermione's body crumpled to the ground.

Harry could feel Hermione's presence inside his mind. He heard her voice as if she were standing right beside him.

"Press Ariana's hand next to the door. Since she's keyed into the wards, we should be able to use her magical signature to get out of here."

Before Harry could move, Ariana's eyes blinked open. She stared at him for several seconds, her blue eyes wide. Harry watched Hermione's brown hair lighten to a dirty blond.

"I can't let you escape," Ariana said softly.

"And I can't let you keep me here, so we are at an impasse."

Ariana gestured firing a jet of flame from her palm.

Harry opened his mouth and inhaled the fire. He grinned cockily at her. "That is one spicy meatball."

Ariana clicked her fingers. Harry found himself surrounded by a sphere of ice. He grunted as the walls of the sphere contracted.

"I knew you had a gift for the elements of fire and earth," Ariana said as the walls continued to contract, "but that means you aren't as good with the elements of water and air."

Harry moved his hand. Flickers of flame appeared around his hands. With a scream of effort, he unleashed a wave of fire. His energy quickly waned as the ice around him began to melt. By the time he was free from the magical ice, he could barely stand.

Ariana strode towards him. "Impressive, but it appears you are completely drained. What are you going to do now?"

In answer, Harry reached for a ley line only to find nothing there. Frantically, he tried to draw magic from his surroundings, but it was like there was no magic around him. It felt as if he were in a void with nothing around him.

"Sorry, but when we realized you could recharge yourself from ley lines we made sure to ward your cell against that sort of thing. No sudden comebacks for you." Her fist flew out clipping Harry in the jaw.

Harry left his feet and landed flat on his back. He looked up at Ariana as she lifted her foot over him.

"Let's see how good your healing powers are, shall we?"

Harry grunted as she stomped down shattering his ribs. Blood spurted from his mouth. She stepped back and watched him.

Harry felt his ribs slowly piece themselves back together. "Owe," he growled trying to get back to his feet.

"It's almost a shame how easy this is." Ariana kicked him in the face, shattering his nose and slamming his head into the floor. "Who'd have thought with the right rituals I could have the strength to fight you."

I'm going to kick the crap out of you and then let Abaddon finish you off. What do you think of that?"

"I don't think that's going to happen today," Oberon said appearing in the cell. He looked surprisingly solid and real.

"Oberon?" Ariana said with a giggle. "Look at you. Where'd you find the energy to appear in corporeal form?"

"Your wards are quite powerful. Now, you're going to let my son go."

"Or not," Ariana said. "We have plans for him."

"Yeah, I know. Your plans are the same as my Ex-wife's. Unfortunately for you, I'm not going to let that happen."

"What can you do," Ariana said. "You're a ghost."

Darkness engulfed Oberon. His voice dropped several octaves. "So are you," he thundered.

His shadowy hand flew out and sank into Hermione/Ariana's chest. With no more effort than it would take to open a bag of chips, he tore Ariana's possessing spirit out of Hermione's body.

Ariana looked down at Hermione's fallen body with wide terrified eyes. As she watched, the body slowly crumbled to dust.

"Time for you to go I think," Oberon said.

"No," Ariana shrieked as she was enveloped by a blinding white light.

As the light faded taking Ariana's spirit with it, Harry felt all his injuries heal. A surge of power flowed through him as his magic connected with the nearest ley line. He slowly stood up and stared at his Father.

"Go," Oberon said. "You need to hurry. Abaddon knows his wards are down. Get back to Hogwarts and strengthen the wards. I'll hold them off until you're gone."

"Right," Harry said. "Thanks Dad."

Oberon blazed with power. His golden eyes shone so brightly Harry could barely stand to look at them. "That's what Fathers are for," he said his voice taking on an echoing quality.

Taking one last look around the cell, Harry vanished in a rustle of air.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter eighteen**_

Abaddon kicked the pile of ash in front of him sending a grey cloud into the air. He looked around at the smoking rubble that had once been his headquarters.

"Perfect!" he snarled. "This is just perfect. Whatever that was destroyed my wards and killed Ariana. It's not really a major setback, but it's bloody inconvenient."

"Patience my love," Ginevra said soothingly. "We have a small group of followers and that is really all we need. Do you remember what the public was like in our world? Voldemort subjected the entire Wizarding world with a little over a hundred people."

Abaddon shook his head. "We only have about fifty followers, not counting the dark creatures. We need more followers. I want at least a hundred and fifty before I attack Hogwarts. I won't risk losing because I was unprepared."

Ginny bowed her head. "If that is what you want, why not higher some mercenaries. We don't need good fighters, just warm bodies to throw at our enemies."

"True," Abaddon said thoughtfully. "First, we need a new headquarters and I have just the place in mind."

"Oh?" Ginevra asked raising one scarlet eyebrow.

Abaddon took her hand. "Come with me," he said. Without a sound, the two vanished.

 _ **XXX**_

They reappeared inside Riddle Manor. Looking around at the crumbling old house, Ginevra giggled.

"You're kidding me? You intend to use this as our base of operations?"

"Why not? We only need it for a few days at most. I'm not waiting any longer than I have to. Hogwarts will fall. I've lost Ariana. I want to be out of this world before something happens to you."

Ginevra slipped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. "You won't lose me my love," she whispered. "I'll never leave you."

 _ **XXX**_

Aeval waved her hand causing the mist to fade. Leaning back on her throne, she rubbed her forehead. She had much to consider and the dull ache behind her eyes wasn't making it any easier.

The Evans boy had surprised her by taking the traitor's soul with him when he left. Why would he give her a chance? The girl had admitted to betraying her best friend, so why would he risk an alliance with her? It was something his Father would have done. Oberon was always giving people second chances.

With a pang, she realized he'd given her many chances to mend her ways. He'd stayed with her even when people started making jokes about the wrong spouse wearing horns. She wiped a tear from her eye. She had been a fool. She had believed that being queen gave her the right to do anything she pleased. It was only now that she was all alone that she realized what she had thrown away.

The Evans boy could've been her son. She could've watched him grow from child to man. If she'd simply remained loyal, the gates of Elphame would still be open. Everything that had happened over the past twenty-one years could be laid at her feet. What was she going to do? Should she pull back? Should she call Abaddon off?

"No," she said quietly. She sniffed and wiped another tear from her eye. She may regret her actions, but it was too late to turn back now. She would complete her mission. "The gates will be opened again," she hissed.

"But at what cost?" a voice said from beside her.

Turning Aeval's eyes widened when she saw Oberon floating beside her. He brushed blue hair out of his face before speaking.

"What will you sacrifice to reopen the gates? How much of your soul is left. It's not too late, Aeval. You can still turn things around. You can be the woman I fell in love with all those years ago."

"You know she vanished centuries ago," Aeval said harshly. "She died the first time I committed adultery."

"Did she? There has been enough death Aeval. I'm tired of watching the fighting. Give up this vendetta. If you do, I can open the gates again. We can continue our trade agreement with the Wizards and things can go back to normal."

"Normal? You mean with your wife ruling Elphame? What happens to me hmm? I suppose I'm just supposed to step aside and serve the dog willingly."

"You threw away any right you had to rule when you tried to kill my son," Oberon said tiredly. "You can either be a tyrant or the queen our people need. For so long you've been obsessed with holding on to power. Do you even enjoy being queen anymore? You rule our subjects with fear and intimidation. Do they look happy to you? Tell me, even with the power of Elphame behind you, how long would you last if all of them decided to revolt?"

"They wouldn't dare," Aeval hissed her blue eyes wide.

"Why not?" Oberon asked. "People can only be pushed so far. You've realized that you've caused all the trouble with the wizards and Elphame, but you still aren't ready to give up. How many people will have to die before you are willing to let your anger and hatred go? Are you willing to watch the whole world burn just so you can be queen?"

"Perhaps," Aeval hissed.

Oberon drifted closer. "Do you hate me so much that you would kill my only son and the woman I love?"

"You used to love me," Aeval shrieked.

"Used to," Oberon said not unkindly. "Past tense. I gave you two hundred years to stop your cheating. Do you realize that is three mortal lifetimes? How long was I supposed to wait? It's not my son or wife you hate. It's yourself. You hate the person you allowed yourself to become. You allowed yourself to become arrogant. You thought because you were queen you could get away with anything. You never actually thought that I'd find another wife."

"You threw me to the curb after a few mistakes. It was merely sex nothing more. It had no bearing on our relationship."

"If I would've been another man you may be right, but I view honor and loyalty over everything else. You proved to me that you had neither. Lily might not be fae, but she is ten times the woman you were. It was because of her that I showed you mercy."

"Mercy?" Aeval bellowed. "You threw me away."

"I could've ordered your death," Oberon said firmly. "Lily asked me to let the past stay in the past, so I simply divorced you. In a sense you owe my wife your life."

Oberon's expression softened. "Please," he said. "Give up your vendetta against my son. He has done nothing to you."

Aeval's face twisted in rage. Her blue eyes flashed. "Get out," she bellowed. "Get out. Your son is a constant reminder of our past. I will not rest until he is dead."

Oberon stared at her for several seconds without moving. "The truth hurts I know," he said quietly. "Look, I may not love you anymore, but I did once. I don't want to see you torn apart by our people. You are trying to kill the true heir to the throne. They will not stand for that once the gates are opened again."

"I said get out," Aeval shrieked again.

Oberon nodded. "Very well."

As she watched him fade from view, Aeval buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook and tears spilled down her cheeks. Oberon had been right. She didn't hate the boy. She hated herself for driving her husband away.

All the time she'd been unfaithful to him, she'd never considered how it would feel to know he was with another woman. She cried for the things she'd done and for the love she'd lost.

 _ **XXX**_

Harry appeared in a flash of light in Dumbledore's office. He fell out of the air and landed flat on his back. Groaning, he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Harry?" Ginny hurried over and knelt beside him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said taking her hand and allowing her to pull him to his feet. "Where were you? What happened?"

Harry turned to the other occupants of the office. "I have a lot to tell you."

 _ **XXX**_

"So that world's Hermione wasn't Hermione?" Lily asked.

Harry nodded.

"And she was possessed by an evil Ariana?"

Harry nodded again.

"Who has, thanks to Oberon, been sent to the hereafter?"

"That about sums it up," Harry said cheerfully.

"And you have that Hermione's soul in your arm," Ginny said. At Harry's nod she continued. "You want to offer Hermione the chance to merge with her alternate counterpart?"

"Yep."

"Didn't she say she was insane at one point?" Luna asked. "Don't you think that might injure Hermione's mind."

"I don't believe it will," Oberon said appearing in the office. "Her soul is not of this world, so if she merges with a soul of this world, she will not be the dominant half. I believe she will only gain the other Hermione's memories."

"But you aren't sure," Lily said.

"No, I only know it is possible for two of the same soul to become one. I never studied the effects of such a union."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "So what would you suggest?"

Hermione, who had been silent up to this point, cleared her throat. "I think I should get a say in this."

They all looked at her. Hermione took a deep breath.

"I want to talk to her before I agree to anything."

Oberon nodded flashing Hermione a pleased smile. "I thought you might. I can pull you into Limbo if you prefer."

"That would be fine," Hermione said.

Oberon turned to Harry. "I need you to release the soul."

Harry drew a knife from his pocket and slit open the rune on his arm. A silvery white mist flowed from the wound. Slowly, it coalesced into a pretty brown haired woman with long bushy hair and brown eyes. She looked around the office, her eyes narrowing when she spotted Dumbledore.

"You have certainly caused a lot of trouble."

Dumbledore arched an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Harry spoke up. "This isn't the Dumbledore you knew. He's… well not good, but err… tolerable."

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled. "Tolerable?"

"Best analogy I could come up with," Harry explained.

"Moving on," Oberon said impatiently. He looked at the ghostly Hermione. "This is going to get confusing. I assume you heard what we were talking about."

"Yes," Ghostly Hermione said. "It is acceptable to me."

"Good," Oberon said. Without another word, both Hermione's vanished.

"Okay," Harry started. "I didn't know he could do that?"

"He's become very attuned with Limbo," Lily explained pride evident in her voice.

"I noticed he had a solid form," Luna said. "How long can he hold that form? Is it long enough for you and he to play hide the snake?"

Harry turned a bit green and glared at Luna. "I really don't want to picture my parents doing that?"

Luna looked at him confusedly. "Why, my daddy and I used to play hide the snake all the time. You just conjure a snake, let it wander off, and then try to find it. What did you think I meant?"

Harry turned away, flushing. He could hear both Ginny and his Mother giggling.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Ginny chastised slapping his arm.

"I think we need to change the subject while we wait for the Hermione's and Oberon to return," Dumbledore said. His eyes twinkled. "You three can talk about hiding the snake later."

Harry waved his hand conjuring a chair. Sitting down, he looked around at the others. "So, you guys got any cards?"

 _ **XXX**_

Hermione and her counterpart looked around limbo. The dry cracked earth stretched as far as the eye could see.

"This looks very inviting," Hermione muttered.

Suddenly, a river appeared to their right. The sound of the rushing water startled them and they turned to look.

Although the river sounded like it was rushing over rucks. Neither Hermione nor her ghostly counterpart could see the bottom.

"I wouldn't go in there," Oberon said. "Souls that go in there never come out."

"What happens to them?"

"No idea," Oberon said his golden eyes gleaming. "They must like wherever they end up because none of them come back to complain."

"That joke is old," Hermione said rolling her eyes.

"I'm older," Oberon said.

"Anyway," Ghostly Hermione grumbled. "I have some things I need to tell you."

"We're listening," Hermione said.

"Abaddon is not going to let you rest. He's going to come and attack you as soon as he gathers enough followers together. Your triumvirate ward is a good idea, but you're not going to have enough time to cast it."

"How do you know about that?"

"When I was inside Harry, I touched his mind. I learned about your plan to protect Hogwarts."

"If the triumvirate ward won't work, what would you suggest?"

Ghostly Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times. "Look," she said at last. "Abaddon is focused on revenge. He plots his revenge, but there has always been one constant."

"And that would be?"

"Ginevra," Ghostly Hermione said emphatically. "When he was trapped in Azkaban, he planned an escape, but it wouldn't have gone near as smooth without Ginevra's help. I'm not even sure he would've managed it without her."

"SO you're saying if we take down Ginevra, Abaddon might stop fighting?"

"No," Hermione said shaking her semi-transparent head. "I'm saying that he won't be thinking as clearly. He'll fight blind. He won't be calculating."

"That would be very dangerous," Oberon said.

"That is why you need to take out all his forces first. All of you will need to combine your strength in order to win."

"Okay, but why are you doing this? Why are you telling us this if I will merge with you?"

"I just wanted the chance to tell you all I knew before I ceased to exist."

Hermione looked at the spirit in front of her. She felt a twinge of sympathy for the ghost. She had made one mistake and it cost her everything.

"I killed Umbridge you know," the ghost said. I broke her arm and turned her into a frog."

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Really? What happened then?"

"When they first started out, Abaddon and Ginevra had an ironic sense of humor. For example, they turned Fudge into a piece of fudge. Umbridge was turned into a frog and served at a Chinese restaurant. You need to be prepared. Abaddon has fallen far from the man he used to be. I've been forced to watch him murder several versions of my best friend that tried to stand up to him. Stop him here, or everything you love will be destroyed."

"We've been told his ultimate goal is to watch the world burn," Oberon said. "How will he do that?"

"His goal is to take over the Wizarding world and then reveal us to the Muggles in the most destructive way possible. He wants to kill as many people during the revelation as he can. That will insure that the Muggles hate and fear us. They will make it their mission to kill everything that has even the slightest bit of magic."

Hermione gulped. "How many worlds has he done this to?"

"Three," Ghostly Hermione said. "Three worlds have been reduced to nothing but barren earth and monstrous creatures." She shrugged. "That last one where he killed Albus Severus Potter didn't take a lot of effort."

"What do you mean?" Oberon asked.

"The year was 2020. Technology had advanced significantly from what it is today. There were Cell phones that could connect to the internet. You could take video and upload it in a matter of seconds."

"Internet?" Oberon asked.

"It basically means a bunch of computers that are all linked together. Apparently, it's a lot more advanced from what it is now."

"Anyway," Ghostly Hermione said. "All Abaddon had to do was cause massive damage on the streets of London in front of a large group of people. Some people filmed it with their phones and that was that. Our world was exposed. Naturally, because the Wizards know nothing of Muggle technology, there was no way to stop it.

Within a week, the governments of the world had exposed the magical communities of their respective countries. Within a month, the first extermination squads were formed. Once that started, Abaddon left. He did check back in a while later, but the only thing left on that world was the insects. I don't know how the wizards fought back, but whatever they did it ended all life on earth." A shudder went through Hermione's semi-transparent body. "The things on that world. The energies released had mutated the insects and plant life in ways we never imagined."

"Wow," Hermione whispered. "The scary thing is that could happen here."

"I fear that it will," Ghostly Hermione said. "The magical world will be revealed. It's only a matter of time, but the manner in which it is revealed is crucial."

"Agreed," Oberon said. He stroked his hairless chin. "Have you seen other worlds that concern the fae? What did they do?"

"I've only seen two at a distance. Abaddon plans to take those next. The fae and Wizards have locked themselves away in the realm of Faerie on both worlds. Their population is skyrocketing."

"Must be a different multiverse," Oberon said thoughtfully. "I can't lock my people away. We'd need a whole new earth."

"Why not if these other fae did it?"

"Because it's not just the fae in our realm. It's the vela, shifters, and various other groups. They came to my land for sanctuary, I will not abandon them."

Before anyone could say anything else, Dumbledore's image appeared.

"Hermione," he said his voice echoing slightly. "I hate to interrupt, but we need you back at the castle immediately."

"What's happened?" Hermione asked leaping to her feet.

"It's Abaddon," Dumbledore said. "He's at Hogwarts."

They all looked at each other in shocked dismay.

"How do I do this?" Hermione asked.

Ghostly Hermione stepped forward and into Hermione. A surge of power flowed through her. Knowledge and memories not her own flashed before her eyes faster than she could comprehend. She stumbled and only Oberon's grip on her shoulder kept her from falling.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Fine." She turned to Dumbledore. "Come on, Abaddon isn't going to wait long."

Dumbledore stepped back through the portal, followed quickly by Hermione.

Oberon watched the portal close sadly. He wished he could help, but without a body he was useless. Suddenly, he felt the ground dissolve under his feet.

XXX

Oberon swayed on his feet as the throne room of Elphame appeared around him. When the room stopped spinning he saw Aeval smiling at him.

"Hello Oberon," she said. "We need to talk."


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

Harry looked at Abaddon standing calmly at the gates of Hogwarts. His posture was totally relaxed. His hands were clasped neatly behind his back. When His head were tipped back, his green eyes focused on the midmorning sky. When he saw Harry standing there, he nodded affably.

"Harry, I thought they'd send you."

"What do you want?"

Abaddon lifted one shoulder. "To talk."

"About?"

"This conflict between us."

"Why would you want to talk about that?"

"Look, if we fight, there's going to be a lot of death on both sides. I've already lost one of my most powerful fighters. I don't want to risk Ginevra as you call her. I want to offer you a deal."

"What sort of deal?"

"Abaddon smiled. "You know that Aeval was the one to higher me, correct? She wants you dead, but I never made any sort of oath to kill you. It just so happened that our goals coincided."

"What's your point?"

"All I ask is that you stand down. Let me do what I came to do and I'll let your family live. Think about it, if you move to the Muggle world, you can offer them your help. They'll let you live."

Harry snorted. "You don't know much about people do you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"If I took your offer, the Muggles may accept our help, but they'd never trust us. After all, if we'd betray one race, we'd probably betray another. Let's say you're right though. Just for argument, let's say they allow us to live. What kind of life would that be? They'd always be watching us. They'd never truly let us free. They'd always be waiting for the time when we'd betray them."

Abaddon's eyes had turned hard. "So you refuse my offer?" he asked resignedly.

"It's not much of an offer. Let you take over the world and we'll be subjected to lifelong scrutiny by the Muggles. Wow, that's a generous offer. Let me make you one, go away. Leave this world in peace and we won't kill you."

Abaddon snorted. "Your wards are good. It will take a few minutes to get onto the grounds, but no more than that. Do you really think I'm going to give you the chance to strengthen the wards?"

Harry felt the pulse as Abaddon's magic slammed against the wards. Quickly, he tapped a ley line and funneled the energy into the wards. A dome of blue white energy flared around them. The dome stretched high over their heads, encompassing the gates as well. The iron glowed where the magic touched it. Smoke began rising off the metal.

"So," Abaddon grunted. "You do have some fight in you, but you are only one man. I on the other hand have the strength of three wizards behind me."

Ginny was suddenly there beside Harry. She took his hand, adding her strength to his. "He's not alone."

The dome of energy flared brightly. Abaddon stumbled backwards. His handsome features twisted into a snarl.

"Nice try, but you won't defeat me."

Ginevra appeared beside him, clasping his hand tightly. "Us, you mean, you won't defeat us." She glanced at Abaddon. "You should know by now that I won't let you go into situations alone."

"I was trying to protect you," Abaddon said as his strained expression relaxed. "I didn't want anything to happen to you."

Ginevra smiled softly. "I can protect myself. We're a team, love. Where one goes the other shall follow. I'll never leave you. I've been at your side through all of this and I'll be at your side through the rest of eternity."

Harry looked at Ginny. "They really do love each other," he mouthed.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, I thought it was just lust, but they really do care."

A pulse of power nearly knocked them off their feet. Turning to look, they saw Abaddon and Ginevra smirking at them.

"You really should keep your minds on what's important," Ginevra said sweetly. "We're going to get through those wards, so you might as well stop fighting."

"Never," Harry said. His green eyes began to glow as he drew more power from the ley lines.

Abaddon wagged a finger at them as if they were naughty children. "You can draw on ley lines, but how much can your bodies take?"

The dome thrummed with power as Abaddon redoubled his attack. Cracks began to appear along its outer edges. The iron gates began to melt. Within seconds, the gate had become a pool of molten metal. Hurriedly, Harry scrabbled for the ley line again.

He drew as much power from the line as he could. It was like someone had driven a metal spike into his skull. Blood began to trickle from his nose.

"Harry?" Ginny said her voice trembling.

"I'm fine," Harry grunted.

"No your not," Abaddon said pointing at his exposed arms.

Looking down, Harry could see his skin flaking away. As he watched, another large swatch of skin turned to ash, revealing muscles and tendons underneath. Looking back at the dome, he saw that the cracks had faded. The dome was holding for now.

"Harry," Ginny said more frantically. "You have to stop. Your body can't handle the strain."

"I can hold on long enough."

Abaddon sighed dramatically. His grip tightened on Ginevra's hand. "See, this is why I killed my counterparts and took their magic. It makes the body so much more resilient."

A shriek filled the air. It was the sound of metal pushed to its breaking point and finally giving up the fight. The dome flared before exploding with a sound like breaking glass.

Harry flew backwards, landing hard on his back. Stars exploded behind his eyes as the back of his head struck a rock.

He blinked away the stars. His eyes widened as Abaddon stepped over the liquid metal. The sound of his feet on the grass was very loud in the silence.

Abaddon casually walked over to Harry. "You did good, but not good enough." A sphere of green light appeared, floating just above his palm. "I'll make your death as quick and painless as possible."

The sphere of light flew through the air, heading straight for Harry's head.

One of the winged bores that had decorated the gates rose into the air and dropped in front of the spell. The light struck the stone of its forehead and blinked out.

"What…" Abaddon began.

Ginny smiled at him. "Did you really think I'd let you kill my husband. We're a team."

"Forever and ever," Harry said rising to his feet. The tendons and muscle of his forearms was now covered in fresh new skin. Not a trace of his burned and blackened flesh remained.

"How," Abaddon said.

"Wolfshifter healing factor, remember?"

The stone bore lunged at Abaddon, its tusks aimed straight for his eyes.

Abaddon snapped his fingers. The bore exploded into stone chips.

Ginny pointed a finger at Abaddon. The remains of the bore formed a long stone spear that flew at his head.

A silver shield appeared in the path of the spear. The stone struck the shield with a loud clang.

"You're not the only ones who can fight as a team," Ginevra said conversationally. "But there's something you should know?"

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

"We're not alone."

With those words, the glamour hiding their army vanished. At least a hundred wizards and twice that number of werewolves and vampires stood there.

"Well crap," Harry muttered.

He glanced at his wife. "You take the a hundred and fifty on the left and I'll take the a hundred and fifty on the right."

 _ **XXX**_

"Their outnumbered," Hermione said.

"Come on," Lily said. "Let's go. Albus, lock down the castle."

"If just the three of us go out there, we'll die." Dumbledore said softly.

"There are children here," Luna snapped not sounding a bit like her usual dreamy self. "We can't allow the fight to reach the castle."

"You are right," Dumbledore said. He drew his wand. "Let's go."

 _ **XXX**_

Harry ducked the snapping fangs of a vampire and chucked a rune stone into its mouth. There was a flash of light and the vampire exploded into ash. Wiping the ash from his face, he looked up in time to see a large bear of a man charging at him. The man clutched an ax in one hand and a wand in the other.

With a grunt, the man swung the ax. Harry yelped as the steel blade bit deep into his shoulder. Blood flowed steadily from the wound. With a jerk, he tore himself free from the ax leaving a chunk of muscle behind.

The mercenary laughed. He grinned at Harry, revealing surprisingly white and even teeth. "Maybe I'll have a bit of fun with that wife of yours once you're dead."

Before Harry could respond, a shaft of light exited the man's forehead, leaving a smoking hole behind. He fell forward, landing flat on his face. Dumbledore lowered his wand. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Harry grunted. "I'm fine."

"How long will it take you to heal?"

Harry looked down at the bloody hole in his arm. The wound was already smaller. He tried to move his fingers and was pleased to see them twitch slightly. "I'll need a few minutes."

Dumbledore turned away. "Then allow me to buy you the time you need." His wand was a blur. Lightning and fire flew at the enemy. Where ever he pointed his wand, death and destruction rained down like judgment from an angry god.

Harry watched in awe. He'd never seen Dumbledore fight. He'd actually considered those who used wands to be weaker wizards, not near as powerful as those who didn't need a wand. Watching Dumbledore, Harry gained a whole new respect for wand wielders. He realized that how you wielded your magic was no indication of how well you could use magic.

A vampire tried to sneak up on Dumbledore and Harry punched it in the face reducing its head to a bloody pulp.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said as a beam of light bore a whole in a werewolf's stomach. Wet and glistening ropes of intestine flopped from the whole as the werewolf collapsed.

XXX

Hermione dropped from the sky her machete flashed and a werewolf's head rolled away. Spinning she stabbed another mercenary through the center of his face before jerking the blade upward. There was a wet crack as the man's head split neatly in two and he flopped to the ground.

"That was gruesome," Luna said conversationally. She made a pulling motion with her hand and half a dozen vampires turned to dust. Six grey and withered hearts appeared in her palm.

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "What would you call that?"

"Effective."

A mercenary lunged at Luna. She calmly stared him in the eye. The mercenary stopped, put his wand in his mouth, and muttered something around the shaft of wood. His head vanished in a flash of flame.

Hermione stared at Luna. "Now that was gruesome."

"No fuss no muss," Luna said skipping towards another group of vampires. She pointed to the amulets hanging around their necks. "You're too young to be immune to sunlight."

With a gesture, the amulets flew from their necks and plopped neatly into her outstretched palm. The vampires screamed as their skin blistered. Within seconds, they were gone only leaving a smoking pile of ash behind.

She looked up startled as two icy hands gripped her from behind. She let out a soft surprised sound as the vampire bent her backwards and sank it's fangs into her throat.

Luna felt a cold wrist being pressed to her lips. Thick blood flowed into her mouth. She choked, trying to spit it out, but the vampire's grip was too strong.

"Luna," Hermione yelled. There was a flicker of steel and the vampire's arms and head fell to the ground.

Hermione dropped to her knees beside Luna. She could see the transition from human to vampire already beginning. Luna's silvery blue eyes had darkened slightly and her normally pale skin was as white as snow. Hermione watched as Luna slipped one of the amulets she taken on and rose gracefully to her feet.

"Luna?" she began.

"I'm fine," Luna said airily. "It'll take several days for the transformation to be complete. Now come on, we have work to do."

 _ **XXX**_

Ginny dodged the green light flying at her head. She returned fire, balls of multi-colored flame flying at Ginevra's face.

"You can't win," Ginevra said softly. "You are too weak and unwilling to do what needs to be done. You will die here today just like all the others."

"No, I won't, I have a husband to get back to and we have a family to create."

Ginevra smirked. "Funny, that's what my other selves said to. It didn't stop me from killing them."

"You won't kill me so easily," Ginny said.

 _ **XXX**_

Lily faced Abaddon her green eyes meeting his firmly. "SO, you are the son I would've had with James."

"Yes, one of them anyway. I kill as many of my counterparts as I can find. Some are noble and others are disappointments to the Potter name."

"I'm pretty sure James would consider you a disappointment to the Potter name."

"When he's sent to Azkaban and betrayed by all his friends and those he considered family, then he can judge me."

Lily's hands were surrounded by emerald green witch-fire. "That doesn't give you the right to take out your pain on others." She sighed. "You are a bully plain and simple. Tell me Abaddon, what's the difference between you and Dudley Dursley?"

Abaddon's face twisted. "I'm nothing like him. How do you know that I was raised by the Dursleys?"

"A little bird told me. As for your similarities to Dudley, You've been tormenting entire worlds because of what was done to you. Dudley tormented you because of what you were. It's not that big a leap son."

"If you hadn't died I wouldn't have turned out this way."

"From what I was told, my counterpart died so you could live. She would be very disappointed in the life you have chosen to lead. I know I am. You could've been the bigger person. You could've walked away. Instead, you chose to kill worlds full of innocent people for what one small corner of the world did to you. You are worse than Voldemort ever thought about being."

"Shut up," Abaddon roared. He hurled a sphere of green light at Lily.

Lily nimbly stepped aside. She returned fire with a blade of silver light.

Abaddon jerked as a long gash appeared in his cheek. He touched the blood on his face and glared at Lily.

"First blood to you," he whispered.

Lily felt herself lifted off her feet and thrown through the air. She slammed into the side of the castle. "Now, let's see how much pain you can stand," Abaddon whispered.

 _ **XXX**_

"Things are certainly not looking good for your little wife are they?" Aeval asked as Abaddon plunged silver nails into Lily's wrists.

Oberon was trembling with rage. His jaw was clenched and his golden eyes blazed with power.

"Are you happy with what you've done," he growled.

"I never wanted this," Aeval said sadly. "I just wanted to continue my rule as queen."

"How is that working out for you? Are you satisfied?"

"There's nothing I can do," Aeval nearly whined.

"What would you do if you could?"

Aeval didn't say anything. She stayed quiet, merely continuing to stare into the mist.

"I can open the gates," Oberon said, "but there will be consequences. The spell I will use can only be spoken by someone that is neither living nor dead."

"What sort of consequences?" Aeval said.

"The barriers will be gone."

Aeval's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"I mean that Elphame and the mortal realm will merge. I have no idea what the results will be."

They both looked back at the mist as Lily shrieked in agony. Aeval's mouth puckered as if she'd bit something sour.

"I admit I was a fool. I blamed everyone else for my stupidity. If you can open the gates I'll help your son and wife, for your sake."

Oberon hesitated. "You swear not to harm them?"

"I swear I will give my life to keep them safe if necessary." There was a blaze of light that signified her oath.

Oberon didn't hesitate once the light faded. Raising his arms to the sky, he began to chant. The words rolled from his throat. Aeval winced with every syllable.

The throne room shook. Cracks formed in the gates of Elphame before they exploded. A rumbling sound filled the air.

 _ **XXX**_

The battle on the grounds of Hogwarts stopped as the earth shook slightly underneath their feet.

"What the?" Abaddon began.

Aeval appeared in a swirl of light. Her blue eyes were fixed on Abaddon's face.

"It's over," she hissed. "Stop this now."

"Aeval," Abaddon said smiling charmingly. "I thought this was what you wanted? I'm going to kill Harry. It's just taking longer than I thought it would."

Aeval didn't answer. She snapped her fingers. The silver nails vanished from Lily's wrists and the wounds closed, leaving no sign they'd ever been.

"What are you doing?" Abaddon asked.

"Fixing my mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Ginevra said. "What sort of mistakes?"

Aeval turned to face the remains of Abaddon's army. One of the mercenary's stepped forward, smiling stupidly. She waved a hand. There was a rumbling sound. The mercenary stumbled and then screamed as he and the rest of the army dropped into an ever widening hole. With a crash, the sides of the hole slammed together.

"Traitor," Abaddon growled.

"Like you weren't going to betray me," Aeval snapped. "You weren't just going to leave this world alone. All of my people were going to die because of you."

Abaddon was silent. His green eyes blazed with magic and his fists clenched and unclenched.

"Leave now," Aeval continued. "Find another world to attack or suffer the consequences."

"You may be powerful, but you can't stop me," Abaddon said stepping towards her. From his cloak he drew a roughly hewn knife. The silvery black metal gleamed dully in the light of the sun. His other hand came up, a sphere of green light flying at Aeval.

There was a blur of movement. Dumbledore crumpled to the ground. Aeval looked down at him along with everyone else. The old man stared sightlessly up at the sky, a contented smile on his face.

Abaddon shrugged. "I was going to kill him anyway. You just sped up his death a little bit." He stepped closer. "Stand down, Aeval. I will kill you."

"You are forgetting one thing," Aeval said smiling thinly.

"What's that?"

Aeval clenched her fist. Ginevra made a choking sound and collapsed. Her feet kicked a few times and blood poured from her slack mouth. "I'm a bitch," Aeval finished.

"Ginny," Abaddon roared hurrying to her side. He knelt beside her, but he could already see it was too late. He gently closed her eyes and kissed her forehead. "I will avenge you my love," he whispered. Turning on the spot, he vanished.

Aeval spun, but wasn't quick enough to avoid the iron blade that plunged into her chest. She let out a soft cry before collapsing. Abaddon drew back his foot.

"I'm going to beat you to death for what you've done."

A blinding flash of light lit up the grounds. Abaddon was lifted off his feet and slammed onto his back. He lay on the ground, staring up at the sky dazedly. Blinking, he saw Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Harry, and Lily standing there hands clasped.

Hermione released Lily's hand and walked over to Abaddon's fallen form. Kneeling down, she drew a strange rune on his forehead. "I strip you of the magic you have stolen," she whispered.

Abaddon cried out as spheres of light tore free of his chest, leaving bloody holes behind. He convulsed, more blood spilling from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

"How," he croaked.

Hermione smiled sadly at her oldest friend. Tears ran down her cheeks. "I've been trying to find a way to stop you for years. Who'd have thought I simply needed the right rune."

"Hermione," he whispered. "You died."

"No," Hermione said gently. "Harry saved me. He wouldn't let me die. You allowed anger to control your life. You let yourself do horrible things in the name of revenge. Now it's time for you to receive your reward for your actions."

Abaddon shuddered. "I won't die so easily. I still have ways to heal myself."

"We know," Harry said. "That's why we don't intend to give you the time you need." His hand seemed to melt. Drawing back his arm, he swung his hand down. There was a wet crunch as his claws sliced through Abaddon's chest. Abaddon's let out a gurgling sound. Harry drew back his hand, clutching Abaddon's still beating heart. He crushed the heart in his fist before tossing it aside. Turning away from Abaddon's corpse, he knelt beside Aeval.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for saving my Mother."

"Forgive me," Aeval whispered. Veins of black were spreading up her arms. A smell of rot and burning meat hung around her. "Forgive me for not accepting you and your Mother. All of this is my fault. If I hadn't been such a vindictive bitch, none of this would've happened."

Oberon's spirit appeared on the other side of Aeval. "It's in the past now," he said making as if to brush the hair out of her face.

Aeval smiled up at him. "I can't undo what I've done, but I can give you something that will hopefully make up for it a little."

Oberon raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Take my life," Aeval said. Her words were filled with power. "I will it to you to make up for what I've done."

Oberon stumbled. His semi-transparent form was gone. He was there. His feet left impressions in the grass as he took a step backwards.

Aeval's eyes closed. Her words were so soft, Harry barely heard them. "I love you Oberon." Her entire body relaxed.

Lily flew passed Harry wrapping her arms around Oberon. She crushed her mouth to his, kissing him fiercely. Harry left his parents to their reunion and walked over to where Luna, Ginny, and Hermione stood.

"How are you feeling," he asked Luna.

"Surprisingly well," she said. "I don't feel that different."

Ginny took his hand. "Is it over, really over?"

"The war may be over, but the changes have just begun," Oberon said walking over. "Elphame has just been merged with the mortal realm. That was the trimmer you felt."

"How is there not a whole bunch of catastrophes?" Hermione asked.

"You forget, our place is the forests and the wild places. When the realms merged, they simply added to the woodland that already existed. Your oceans will have gotten bigger as well I imagine."

"Shouldn't that still cause terrible natural disasters," Hermione sputtered. "I mean the entire planet just got bigger."

"I don't know," Oberon snapped. "I only know it didn't, but I'm not an earth elemental, so don't ask why it didn't."

"So what does that mean for us?" Harry asked.

"It means the fae won't be able to hide for long. Soon, we'll be known to the humans for good or ill. We may be able to hide for a while, but with technology advancing, we won't be hiding forever."

Lily took his hand. "There's no use in worrying about what hasn't happened yet. Right now, why don't we go back to the castle and tell everyone that the war is over?"

Harry knelt and lifted Dumbledore's body. "Sounds good." He cast a look back at Aeval. "What do we do with her?"

Oberon spread his hands. The ground split apart and Aeval's body sank into the earth. The ground closed, leaving smooth barren earth behind. "Not pretty, but it will work." He turned to Lily. "I'd like to put a marker here if Hogwarts will allow it."

Lily kissed him again. "That would be alright I think."

The small group turned and walked back towards the castle.

 _ **XXX**_

Tom Riddle stood in Limbo. Behind him, he could hear the river flowing along its endless course. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement.

Turning, he saw a scrawny woman with lank hair and eyes that stared in opposite directions. She smiled at him. "I'm so proud of you. You really learned from your mistakes. You did well with your second chance."

"Mother?" Tom croaked.

Merope Riddle wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him close. She took his hand. "Come on, you've earned your reward."

Tom hung back. "I'm not worthy. I've done terrible things."

"You've also done some great things. Even without your memories, you fought against the darkness. You didn't allow your own prejudices to cloud your judgment. You learned from your mistakes and that is something very few are able to do."

A simple wooden door appeared in front of them. Merope continued pulling him forward.

Tom took one last look back at limbo before allowing himself to be tugged through the door. He had lived two long and hard lifetimes. Hopefully now, he would be able to get some rest.

A/N One more chapter to go. I hope this was good. Please let me know what you think.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Epilogue**_

Harry stood on the top of a hill gazing out at the miles upon miles of dense forest below him. The past seven years had seen many changes in the fae.

Oberon had returned to being queen with Lily at his side. Harry had been a little weary at first, but soon realized that Aeval's hatred had not been shared by the majority of the fae. He still preferred solitude as opposed to crowds and parties, so he spent most of his time wondering the forests.

Most magical creatures were thrilled to have new habitats. With the merger of the realms had come a surge in child birth, of both fae and wizard.

As for the wizards, relations were still tense. Oberon had not been happy about the way they had mistreated his son. They were trying to build a new relationship, but things were rocky at best. Luckily for everyone involved, Hermione had agreed to be ambassador to the wizards. Privately, Harry hoped they'd be able to mend fences. He wasn't keen on fighting another war.

Lastly, the mundane people still had no idea of the new land that had appeared on earth. Oberon didn't know how long that would last, but Harry hoped it would last a while. Either way he was going to enjoy the piece as long as it lasted. He smiled as a doe and her fawn stopped at a small stream to drink.

If there was one thing that could be said for the merger of realms it had helped the mundane wildlife as well as the magical. Somehow those animals that dwelt in forests had sensed the appearance of the new forests and come to investigate. Harry had asked his Father about it, but all he got was a raised eyebrow and a one word response.

"Magic," Oberon had said with a grin.

Hearing a rustle behind him, he turned to see Ginny emerging from between two trees. "Hi love," he said leaning forward to give her a kiss. "How's Mum?"

"The pregnancy is going well. Ariana says that she'll give birth soon."

"Good," Harry said. "I was worried about that. I mean she gave birth to me just fine, but…"

Ginny slipped an arm around his waist and stared out at the forest. "Still can't get enough of the forest can you?"

"Yeah, I just hope we can keep the mundane peoples from cultivating it. We have more forests and that's the one thing there's not much of."

"Well, there's plenty of woodland now," Ginny said. "As for the muggles cultivating it, I don't think you have to worry."

"Oh?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Because of the test Hermione's done. Anything above the simplest machinery shuts off once it arrives on fae land. I guess it's the magic."

"Any way to tell what machinery will work?"

"If it's got a computer or microchips, it'll fry. Basically, the more electronics in the machine, the more likely it is that it won't work."

"Interesting," Harry said. "So we will be able to hide for a while."

Ginny nodded.

"They'll come here eventually," Harry said darkly. "Oberon says that when the magical energy levels off they'll probably find us."

"Yes, I suppose they will, but we have time. We can use it to figure out how we are going to reveal ourselves if the need arises."

Harry and Ginny stood together in companionable silence for several moments.

"So," Ginny finally began. "How's Luna?"

"The baby is doing fine surprisingly. I didn't even know fae/vampire hybrids were possible."

Ginny elbowed him gently. "Don't you mean tribrid? Luna is my friend. I would've been willing for you to impregnate her the old fashioned way just the once."

"No," Harry said shaking his head. "For one, Luna and I don't feel that way about each other. For another, the child will be a Lovegood, not an Evans. Luna just wanted to insure her Father's line wouldn't die out."

"Speaking of Bloodlines," Ginny said. "There will be a new Evans pretty soon and I'm not talking about Lily's."

Harry spun to face her. "Are you?" he began.

Ginny grinned. "Only a few weeks. Surprise!"

Harry scooped her into his arms and spun her around. "That's great," he said kissing her firmly.

"Have you told Mum?"

"No, I was wondering if we could tell my family first. I haven't seen them in a while."

"Sure," Harry said. "Do you want to tell them now?"

"Later, for now I just want to stand here and relax."

Hermione appeared beside them, smiling widely. "You told him I see."

Ginny nodded and hugged her friend. "How are the wizards?"

"They're content for now. The Wizengamot have agreed to work with the fae to hide our lands for as long as possible. It seems that the influx of magic caused by the merger of realms has added to the protection of Wizarding settlements."

"That's handy," Ginny said. "Any luck on imbuing fae magic into steel?"

"No," Hermione said. "The enchantments just fade away over time. We've got some blacksmiths from Diagon Alley working with us, so hopefully we'll be able to figure it out soon."

"How are your parents?"

"They're good, just happy to have years of peace." She grimaced. "They keep on bugging me about giving them Grandchildren."

"Do what I did," Luna said appearing beside Hermione. "Just have Harry Father them."

"Do I look like a sperm bank to you?" Harry groused.

"What?" Luna said innocently. "You have a few million to spare. Besides, Ginny's already pregnant, so they're useless to her."

"I'll think about it," Harry said, "but Ginny and I will need to talk about it first. Besides," he said turning to Hermione. "Wouldn't you prefer to have a husband of your own to give you children?"

"I don't know," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I kind of like the idea of continuing my own bloodline. You could give me a child. You would of course be able to see it any time you want."

"I don't know," Harry said. "I did this for Luna because she couldn't have children any other way being a vampire and all. You can. Maybe you should just hyphenate your name with whoever you marry."

Ginny took his hand. "That's something to talk about later. Why don't we go and see Bloodwind. He says he's got a new drink for us to try."

"If it's anything like the last one, no thanks," Harry grumbled. "I couldn't leave the toilet for hours."

"It did get rid of your hiccups," Luna pointed out reasonably.

"Only because I was scared to."

"Whatever works," Hermione said with a grin.

As they prepared to teleport away, Harry gazed out at the forest. Things may be changing, but everything would be alright. He was no longer the outcast prince that had been brought to the Wizarding world a little less than thirty years ago. True, life hadn't been easy, but then again it never was. Regardless of what happened, the next few years were shaping up to be very interesting.

 _ **THE END**_

A/N I hope you enjoyed this story. If you did, please drop a review and tell me what you thought.

Until next time.

 _ **Wizmage**_

True, there was no doubt going to be hardships and pain, but that was life. He would live the best he could and try not to worry about trouble until it came along. As the forest dissolved around him, he smiled.

He had come along way


End file.
